Professor Robert L. Brown|Statistics and Actuarial Science

Professor

Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
CANADA N2L 3G1

Email:
WatRISQ Website: www.watrisq.uwaterloo.ca

Research and Scholarly Interests

Professor Brown has published a variety of articles on wide-ranging topics within actuarial science. However, his work has focused on problems associated with the aging Canadian population, and in particular the financing of social security systems in times of rapidly shifting demographics.

Professor Brown has also written six books including Economic Security for an Aging Canadian Population.

Recent Publications in Refereed Journals

North American Actuarial Journal (2008). Negative Effects of the Canadian GIS Clawback and Possible Mitigating Alternatives (with Diana Chisholm). Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 372-383.
International Social Security Review (2008). Designing a Social Security Pension System. Vol. 61, No. 1, pp. 61-80.
Journal of Business Ethics (2007). Colliding Interests Age as an Automobile Insurance Rating Variable: Equitable Rate-Making or Unfair Discrimination (with Charters, D., Gunz, S., Haddow, N.), 72: 103- 144. (more)

Recent Technical Report Series (IIPR)

08-09 Basic Living Expenses for the Canadian Elderly (with Bonnie-Jeanne Mac Donald and Doug Andrews). 57 pages.
07-08 Designing a Social Security Pension System. 21 pages.
07-09 Negative Effects of the Canadian GIS Clawback and Possible Mitigating Alternatives (with Diana Chisholm). 22 pages.
07-10 Issues in the Issuance of Enhanced Annuities (with Pat Scahill). 14 pages. (more )

Biography

Professor Brown has had strong ties with the North American Actuarial Profession. Over the fifteen-year period from 1979 to 1993, he worked one day a week as a property-casualty consulting actuary. He worked with such firms as the Prudential of England (P &C), the Cooperators General, and the Guarantee Company of North America. His work covered both product pricing and loss reserving.

In 1990-91, after six years on the governing council of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA), Professor Brown served the CIA as its president. Then, in 200-01, after seven years on its board of directors, he served as the president of the Society of Actuaries, an international actuarial organization serving a membership of over 14,000 in sixty-three different countries. Professor Brown is now active on the committees of the International Actuarial Association (IAA), and is vice-chair of its Social Security committee.

From 1988-94, Professor Brown served as an elected councillor in the City of Waterloo. He also served on the board of directors of Seaboard Life (Vancouver) in 1997-98. In 2001 he was awarded an Honorary FIA from the UK Institute of Actuaries. In 2005 he was part of a three-actuary panel that peer-reviewed the 21st Canada Pension Plan Actuarial Report. He has been the director of the Institute of Insurance and Pension Research at the University of Waterloo since 1993.

As the baby boom generation inches inexorably toward retirement, the number of retired Canadians versus the number in the workforce will rise dramatically. This shift causes concern regarding the viability of existing government pension plans. Will retired Canadians be able to continue their anticipated consumption of goods and services after they leave the labour force? Research combining mathematics, demography and actuarial science lets experts understand such shifts in our population and make informed decisions about policy and practice. The Canada Pension Plan works - thanks to the careful effort of actuaries like Robert L. Brown, a UW professor who has helped to ensure that the CPP is affordable and sustainable.

Rob studies the financing of social security within aging populations and teaches the mathematics of demography. He examines the ways demographic phenomena like mortality, fertility and migration affect a country's ability to meet social security obligations. Robert has focused, consulted and acted as a voice for social security in Canada and internationally. The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America have worked with Rob to understand their social security challenges. He is the author of six books, including Economic Security in an Aging Canadian Population Introduction to the Mathematics of Demography. (UW Math, Annual Report 2005) (more)

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