About Us
Scope of ASTIN. ASTIN stands for Actuarial Studies In Non-life insurance. It was created in 1957 as the first section of IAA, the International Actuarial Association. It has as main objective the promotion of actuarial research, particularly in non-life insurance. Recently, genetics research has been added to its activities. ASTIN currently has over 2,000 members, in nearly 50 countries. Membership is open to all members of the IAA.
ASTIN Bulletin - The Journal of the IAA. Twice a year, ASTIN publishes the ASTIN Bulletin - The Journal of the IAA, the internationally renowned refereed scientific journal of the actuarial profession. A recent study (L. Lee Colquitt, An Analysis of Risk, Insurance, and Actuarial Research: Citations from 1996 to 2000, Journal of Risk and Insurance, 2003, pages 315-338) found that the ASTIN Bulletin is the top actuarial journal when looking at total number of citations excluding self-citations, the per article impact measure (total citations divided by number of articles published), and the per article impact measure excluding self-citations. The other measure evaluated was total citations, where the IME publication had more citations principally because it is published four times a year instead of the twice-yearly ASTIN Bulletin - The Journal of the IAA publication schedule. The Bulletin is distributed free of charge to all ASTIN members. In addition, all members of AFIR/ERM, LIFE and PBSS Section members. The circulation of the Bulletin exceeds 3,000. The entire past collection of the Bulletin can be downloaded, free of charge, from the Casualty Actuarial Society website (www.casact.org/library/ASTIN/) or through a link from the IAA website.
ASTIN Colloquia. Each year, ASTIN organizes an international colloquium. Usually attended by over 200 actuaries from all over the world, these colloquia bring together academics and practitioners, and provide an outstanding forum for the exchange of knowledge among actuaries of different countries and different disciplines. They allow participants to keep up to date with the rapid changes occurring in the actuarial profession. Meetings usually include invited lectures, contributed papers, and panels discussing current issues. All papers submitted to Colloquia are distributed in advance to all participants, so that more time can be devoted to discussion of ideas. ASTIN Colloquia usually take place in attractive and interesting sites, which add a friendly and collaborative atmosphere to the professional stimulation of working sessions through social and cultural activities. The international nature of ASTIN Colloquia is illustrated by the location of recent meetings: Manchester, UK (2008), Orlando (2007), Zurich (2005), Bergen (2004), Berlin (2003), Cancun, Mexico (2002), Washington, DC (2001), Porto Cervo, Italy (2000), Tokyo (1999), as well as future meetings: Helsinki (2009), Madrid (2011) and The Hague (2013).
Actuarially Emerging Countries Program. A portion of the ASTIN income is devoted to the development of actuarial science in actuarially emerging countries. ASTIN recently donated 18 most important actuarial textbooks to 120 universities and actuarial associations throughout the emerging world. These recipients also get a free subscription to the ASTIN Bulletin - The Journal of the IAA. ASTIN has started a program to sponsor seminars. In India, Croatia, Latvia, Poland, Zimbabwe, Chile, and Hong Kong, ASTIN members have taught the principles of loss reserving, merit-rating in motor insurance, financial economics in insurance, applications of stochastic processes, and stochastic models for life contingencies to actuarial students and practitioners. Further seminars are being prepared for Albanie, Hungary, and Thailand. National actuarial associations and universities interested in hosting an ASTIN seminar should contact Jean Lemaire, at lemaire@wharton.upenn.edu.
Membership. In order to join ASTIN, prospective members only need to contact the IAA Secretariat for ASTIN membership (secretariat@actuaries.org).