Hans Rosling liked to ask audiences to estimate the answers to questions. He would ask people to estimate what proportion of the global population is poor, and whether that proportion has been getting better or worse. He would ask audiences to estimate the participation rates of poor children in schools, and whether that was getting better or worse. You can probably guess - most audiences tended to have a very pessimistic view of what has been going on, when in fact many things are getting a lot better. He acknowledged only one area that, at a macro level was worse: the environment. But to stay on target, issues like child mortality, have got a lot better over time. More at this link. The book, Factfulness, was one I read during the year - and is well worth a look. I have an emerging view that the insurance sector needs to rediscover its cause-related alignment of years past. Helping people live longer, healthier, and more productive lives is the place where insurers' and consumers' goals are closely aligned. We should put more focus there.
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