市场营销学系学术讲座（5月19日）

Falling through the Cracks: Clan Culture and Critical Illness Insurance Purchases in China

主讲人: 蔡熙乾，厦门大学经济学院 教授

主持人: 殷云露，复旦大学管理学院 副教授

时间：2026年5月19日（周二）13:30-15:00

地点：史带楼303教室

Abstract:Informal risk-sharing institutions are a cornerstone of developing economies, yet whether their members are insured equally remains unclear. This study investigates how the Chinese clan, an enduring informal institution, shapes formal insurance purchases. Exploiting 8 million proprietary critical illness insurance (CII) contracts, we find that stronger clan culture causally crowds out formal CII purchases. Exploiting quasi-random earthquakes as a risk shock, we show clans serve as an active mechanism that intensifies in high-trust environments. More importantly, we find asymmetries in this effect: the crowding-out is stronger among the male beneficiaries, the young (<20), and prime working-age adults (30-50), implying these groups are perceived to be better protected by the informal safety net. Furthermore, we show that while outsiders rely more on formal markets, strong local clan networks suppress their ability to increase insurance coverage following risk shocks, highlighting the exclusionary nature of informal institutions. Overall, we argue that informal insurance can serve as a hierarchy of unequal protection, offering a novel, culturally-rooted explanation for under-insurance in emerging market countries, and informing policy on financial inclusion.

Bio:蔡熙乾，厦门大学经济学科教授，经济学院副院长，全国数字经济专业学位研究生教育指导委员会委员。主要研究领域为行为经济学、劳动经济学与数字经济。论文发表在《中国社会科学》，《世界经济》，《人民日报（理论版）》，Review of Economics and Statistics, Management Science, Journal of Development Economics, Psychological Science等国内外权威刊物。多项研究成果获福建省社会科学优秀成果奖，山东省社会科学优秀成果奖等奖项。主持国家自然科学基金优秀青年基金、面上项目等项目。