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The Genetics Revolution, Economics, Ethics and Insurance

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Abstract

This paper considers the revolutionary developments occurring in the field of genetic mapping and the genetic identification of disease propensities. These breakthroughs are discussed relative to the ethical and economic implications for the insurance industry. Individual's privacy rights and rights to employment must be weighed against the insurers desire for better estimates of future loss costs associated with health, life and other insurances. These are in turn related to the fundamental conception of insurance as a financial intermediary versus insurance as a vehicle for social policy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Cybernetic Studies, College of Business Administration, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712, U.S.A.

    Patrick L. Brockett & E. Susan Tankersley

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  1. Patrick L. Brockett
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  2. E. Susan Tankersley
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Brockett, P.L., Tankersley, E.S. The Genetics Revolution, Economics, Ethics and Insurance. Journal of Business Ethics 16, 1661–1676 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017981200687

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017981200687

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