On the Role of the Actuary in a Changing World
On the Role of the Actuary in a Changing World

Author: John Gordon

Publisher: Dolman Scott Publishing

Published: 2015-07-01

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 190920465X

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The 2008 financial crisis was a reminder to people both inside and outside the Actuarial Profession of just how complex the Financial Services industry has become, and just how tied the World economy presently is to its fortunes. This wide-ranging, non-technical book examines our present economic model, the industry's present function and the appropriateness of the Actuarial Profession's present strategy and direction in the aftermath of that crisis, and in the context of the challenges that lie ahead. The book's central premise is that, far from being a one-off, the 2008 crash is merely a portent of things to come, and that the Profession, the industry it serves, and even the political and economic models under which both presently operate are in need of fundamental reform if they are to equip our society to withstand the challenges that are going to be visited upon it. This book seeks to explore the reasons why, and to open the debate about what shape that reform ought to take. As such it should be of interest not just to actuaries, but to anyone who has an interest in our collective future.

A Risky Business
A Risky Business

Author: Catrin Townsend

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-09-24

Total Pages: 415

ISBN-13: 3031116739

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Intangible, invisible and worth trillions, risk is everywhere. Its quantification and management are key to the success and failure of individuals, businesses and governments. Whether you’re an interested observer or pursuing a career in risk, this book delves into the complex and multi-faceted work that actuaries undertake to quantify, manage and commodify risk—supporting our society and servicing a range of multi-billion-dollar industries. Starting at the most basic level, this book introduces key concepts in actuarial science, insurance and pensions. Through case studies, explanations and mathematical examples, it fosters an understanding of current industry practice. This book celebrates the long history of actuarial science and poses the problems facing actuaries in the future, exploring complex global risks including climate change, aging populations, healthcare models and pandemic epidemiology from an actuarial perspective. It gives practical advice for new and potential actuaries on how to identify an area of work to go into, how best to navigate (and pass!) actuarial exams and how to develop your skills post-qualification. A Risky Business illuminates how actuaries are central to society as we know it, revealing what they do and how they do it. It is the essential primer on actuarial science.

Actuaries' Survival Guide
Actuaries' Survival Guide

Author: Fred Szabo

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2012-05-21

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 0123869439

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What would you like to do with your life? What career would allow you to fulfill your dreams of success? If you like mathematics-and the prospect of a highly mobile, international profession-consider becoming an actuary. Szabo's Actuaries' Survival Guide, Second Edition explains what actuaries are, what they do, and where they do it. It describes exciting combinations of ideas, techniques, and skills involved in the day-to-day work of actuaries. This second edition has been updated to reflect the rise of social networking and the internet, the progress toward a global knowledge-based economy, and the global expansion of the actuarial field that has occurred since the first edition. Includes details on the new structures of the Society of Actuaries' (SOA) and Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) examinations, as well as sample questions and answers Presents an overview of career options, includes profiles of companies & agencies that employ actuaries. Provides a link between theory and practice and helps readers understand the blend of qualitative and quantitative skills and knowledge required to succeed in actuarial exams Includes insights provided by over 50 actuaries and actuarial students about the actuarial profession Author Fred Szabo has directed the Actuarial Co-op Program at Concordia for over fifteen years

Social Welfare Policy in a Changing World
Social Welfare Policy in a Changing World

Author: Shannon R. Lane

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 2019-12-03

Total Pages: 425

ISBN-13: 1544316194

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Social Welfare Policy in a Changing World is an approachable and student-friendly text that links policy and practice and employs a critical analytic lens to U.S. social welfare policy. With particular attention to disparities based on class, race/ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation and gender, authors Shannon R. Lane, Elizabeth Palley, and Corey Shdaimah assess the impact of policies at the micro, meso, and macro levels.

Nonfinancial Defined Contribution Pension Schemes in a Changing Pension World
Nonfinancial Defined Contribution Pension Schemes in a Changing Pension World

Author: Robert Holzmann

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2012-11-01

Total Pages: 535

ISBN-13: 0821394797

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Nonfinancial Defined Contribution (NDC) schemes are now in their teens. The new pension concept was born in the early 1990s, implemented from the mid-1990s in Italy, Latvia, Poland and Sweden, legislated most recently in Norway and Egypt and serves as inspiration for other reform countries. This innovative unfunded individual account scheme created high hopes at a time when the world seemed to have been locked into a stalemate between piecemeal reforms of ailing traditional defined benefit schemes and introducing pre-funded financial account schemes. The experiences and conceptual issues of NDC in its childhood were reviewed in a prior anthology (Holzmann and Palmer, 2006). This new anthology published in 2 volumes serves to review its adolescence and with the aim of contributing to a successful adulthood. Volume 1 on Progress, Lessons, Implementation includes a detailed analysis of the experience and the key policy lessons in the old and new pilot countries and the implementation of NDCs elements in other reform countries. This volume 2 on Gender, Politics, Financial Stability includes deeper and new analyses of these issues that found little or no attention in the 2006 publication. The gender perspective includes 5 chapters with, perhaps, the most complete discussion on gender and pension issues available to date. The financial stability perspective addresses in 6 chapters critical micro- and macroeconomic aspects such as the balancing mechanism, the use of a reserve fund, the handling of legacy costs, and technicalities related to the management of the longevity risk when designing annuities. While the 2 volumes address many issues it also opens a number of new questions for which good answers are not yet readily available.

The Changing World Religion Map
The Changing World Religion Map

Author: Stanley D. Brunn

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-02-03

Total Pages: 3858

ISBN-13: 940179376X

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This extensive work explores the changing world of religions, faiths and practices. It discusses a broad range of issues and phenomena that are related to religion, including nature, ethics, secularization, gender and identity. Broadening the context, it studies the interrelation between religion and other fields, including education, business, economics and law. The book presents a vast array of examples to illustrate the changes that have taken place and have led to a new world map of religions. Beginning with an introduction of the concept of the “changing world religion map”, the book first focuses on nature, ethics and the environment. It examines humankind’s eternal search for the sacred, and discusses the emergence of “green” religion as a theme that cuts across many faiths. Next, the book turns to the theme of the pilgrimage, illustrated by many examples from all parts of the world. In its discussion of the interrelation between religion and education, it looks at the role of missionary movements. It explains the relationship between religion, business, economics and law by means of a discussion of legal and moral frameworks, and the financial and business issues of religious organizations. The next part of the book explores the many “new faces” that are part of the religious landscape and culture of the Global North (Europe, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, the U.S. and Canada) and the Global South (Latin America, Africa and Asia). It does so by looking at specific population movements, diasporas, and the impact of globalization. The volume next turns to secularization as both a phenomenon occurring in the Global religious North, and as an emerging and distinguishing feature in the metropolitan, cosmopolitan and gateway cities and regions in the Global South. The final part of the book explores the changing world of religion in regards to gender and identity issues, the political/religious nexus, and the new worlds associated with the virtual technologies and visual media.

Active Diplomacy for a Changing World
Active Diplomacy for a Changing World

Author: Great Britain: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-03-28

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 9780101676229

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In 2003 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) published its first white paper on the UK's international priorities, and has reviewed that paper every two years to ensure it remained relevant. This paper updates the analysis and establishes a new range of strategic priorities. Chapter 1 considers the trends driving global change over the next decade and how they will affect the UK: economics; demography and migration; resource pressures; climate change; religion and identity; poverty and governance; security and conflict; science and innovation. The next chapter looks at the UK's role in the international system and the key partnerships. This covers the United Nations, multilateral economic institutions such as the World Bank, the G8 and OECD, the Commonwealth and the European Union (EU), and relationships with the United States, China, India, Japan and Russia, and countries with important regional roles such as Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia. Chapter 3 outlines the nine strategic international priorities identified: (1) making the world safer from global terrorism and weapons of mass destruction; (2) reducing the harm from international crime, including drug and people trafficking, and money laundering; (3) preventing and resolving conflict through a strong international system; (4) building an effective and globally competitive EU; (5) supporting the UK economy through the global economy, science and innovation, and secure energy supplies; (6) promoting sustainable development and poverty reduction, underpinned by human rights, democracy, good governance and protection of the environment; (7) managing migration and combating illegal immigration; (8) delivering high-quality support for British nationals abroad; (9) ensuring the security and good governance of the UK's overseas territories. Chapter 4 sets out the role of the FCO in pursuing these priorities, and an annex gives specific aims for each strategic priority.

Law and Migration in a Changing World
Law and Migration in a Changing World

Author: Marie-Claire Foblets

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-04-05

Total Pages: 843

ISBN-13: 3319995081

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This volume comprises national reports on migration and migration law from 17 countries representing all continents. The vast majority of these are countries of immigration, which means they face specific challenges in terms of managing migratory flows that are increasingly linked with climate change and scarce natural resources worldwide, and they need to find viable ways to integrate humanitarian migration. Unlike so many recent publications in the field of international migration law, this book brings together reports on diverse countries that are rarely regarded as part of one and the same picture, depicting globalized migration in the contemporary era that to a large extent challenges state sovereignty. The contributions delineate the legal regimes that individual states are continually developing and modifying with a view to managing and controlling access of individual persons to their respective territories. They also show how the restrictive measures that states resort to in the event of failure to manage migration could have a lasting legal impact. The General Report preceding the country reports provides a comparative overview of the national reports, and is divided into two parts. The first, more technical in nature, addresses the classic questions relating to admission to and residence in a country. The second, more reflective section, examines the relationship between laws and migration in a wider and multidisciplinary perspective. To allow a robust comparison, the country reports all follow a similarly wide-ranging structure; to the extent possible, they also cover the historical, sociological and demographic factors that help explain legal regimes and migratory flows in each country. Each country report includes analyses of recent legislative developments and delicate questions that are still awaiting adequate (legal) responses as well as perspectives for the future.

The Coming First World Debt Crisis
The Coming First World Debt Crisis

Author: A. Pettifor

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2006-10-02

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 0230236758

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In this book, Ann Pettifor examines the issues of debt affecting the 'first world' or OECD countries, looking at the history, politics and ethics of the coming debt crisis and exploring the implications of high international indebtedness for governments, corporations, households, individuals and the ecosystem.