From gateway to value ladder—The curious case of online mutual aid in China
研究保险科技如何通过披露索赔信息（如网络互助平台上的损失信息、同伴影响和显著性）影响个人购买保险的决策，利用中国某互助平台的用户数据发现参与互助活动显著提高了后续购买商业保险的概率。
Abstract This study examines how InsurTech‐enabled information provision, specifically the disclosure of claimant information previously unavailable in conventional insurance, influences individuals' insurance uptake. We leverage Mutual Aid (MA) platforms as a natural context to examine how socially framed loss information, peer influence, and salience shape insurance decisions, offering broader insights into the role of InsurTech within traditional insurance markets. Using unique user‐level data from a leading MA platform in China and a dynamic discrete choice framework, we show that engagement with MA activities significantly increases the likelihood of subsequent private insurance uptake. Our counterfactual simulations highlight the critical role of strategically structured information in promoting insurance adoption. Overall, the study demonstrates how a digitally mediated and publicly observable risk‐sharing environment can shape consumer behavior and provides new perspectives on the evolving intersection between InsurTech and traditional insurance markets.