1.5.2 Case Selection
According to Gerring (2007), a qualitative case study research method is suitable if the intention is to
discover scientific knowledge that sheds light on a larger class of cases. It involves in-depth
observation and analysis of a spatially delimited phenomenon (the unit of analysis) observed at a single
point in time or over some period of time. The unit of analysis in this thesis is national flood insurance
systems.
The national flood insurance systems of three countries were chosen as case studies to address the
research questions posed by this thesis. The cases were not randomly selected but were chosen to
shed light on the conditions pertinent to the introduction of private flood insurance to the Netherlands. In
an ideal world, the historical, economic, social and geographic flood context of each case study would
be as close to the situation in the Netherlands as possible. The Dutch context and flood risk profile is,
however, wholly unique. To help in getting round this limitation, Belgium was selected as a case
because it is the most geographically, socially and economically similar country to the Netherlands.
Moreover, recent changes to Belgium’s national flood insurance system - to bundle flood insurance with
fire insurance - closely mirror the recent proposal from the Dutch Association of Insurers to introduce
private flood insurance to Netherlands and can therefore shed light on a possible future scenario under
similar conditions to those found in the Netherlands.
The UK was selected because it has operated a pure private and free market flood insurance system.
Like the Netherlands, it has also gone through a consultation between the insurance industry and
government to look to change the national flood compensation system. The UK is introducing an
element of public compensation through the pooling of high risk properties under the government
backed insurance pool called 'Flood Re'. The fact that these changes are being discussed (and have
been accepted) suggests that there are limits to a private flood insurance model in terms of social
justice that the Netherlands could learn from in its own deliberations about the future.
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Finally, France was selected as it is acknowledged to successfully operate a mixed public-private
natural catastrophe insurance system (which includes flooding). France offers an alternative public
private model from either the UK and Belgium from which certain lessons for the future of flood
insurance in Netherlands can be learned. Of particular relevance is an understanding how the French
are able to achieve collective risk sharing and involve the private insurance sector and the operation of
flood compensation policies at the community level.
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