Quantifying mortality in Hungary: Actuaries and Statisticians (1860s-1910s)

Mátyás Erdélyi*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview Articlepeer-review

    Abstract (may include machine translation)

    The present article studies the construction of statistical knowledge based on mortality tables compiled by government agencies (statisticians) and insurance companies (actuaries) in the Hungarian part of the Habsburg Monarchy between the 1860s and the 1910s. The logic and function of mortality statistics were fundamentally distinct in the two contexts. The article argues that statisticians and actuaries constructed their object of analysis and applied mathematical and statistical tools with contrasting aims in mind: social reform for the former, and the profitability of insurance companies for the latter. These aspects not only determined the choice of methods but also their stance on objectivity and their epistemological approach to the whole exercise.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)115-138
    Number of pages24
    JournalHistoire et Mesure
    Volume33
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 2018

    Keywords

    • Habsburg Monarchy
    • Hungary
    • Life insurance
    • Mortality tables
    • Nineteenth century
    • Public statistics

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