Measuring Variable Importance in Generalized Linear Models for Modeling Size of Loss Distributions

Predictive modeling is a critical technique in many real-world applications, including auto insurance rate-making and the decision making of rate filings review for regulation purposes. It is also important in predicting financial and economic risk in business and economics. Unlike testing hypothese...

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Main Authors: Shengkun Xie, Rebecca Luo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-05-01
Series:Mathematics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/10/10/1630
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author Shengkun Xie
Rebecca Luo
author_facet Shengkun Xie
Rebecca Luo
author_sort Shengkun Xie
collection DOAJ
description Predictive modeling is a critical technique in many real-world applications, including auto insurance rate-making and the decision making of rate filings review for regulation purposes. It is also important in predicting financial and economic risk in business and economics. Unlike testing hypotheses in statistical inference, results obtained from predictive modeling serve as statistical evidence for the decision making of the underlying problem and discovering the functional relationship between the response variable and the predictors. As a result of this, the variable importance measures become an essential aspect of helping to better understand the contributions of predictors to the built model. In this work, we focus on the study of using generalized linear models (GLM) for the size of loss distributions. In addition, we address the problem of measuring the importance of the variables used in the GLM to further evaluate their potential impact on insurance pricing. In this regard, we propose to shift the focus from variable importance measures of factor levels to factors themselves and to develop variable importance measures for factors included in the model. Therefore, this work is exclusively for modeling with categorical variables as predictors. This work contributes to the further development of GLM modeling to make it even more practical due to this added value. This study also aims to provide benchmark estimates to allow for the regulation of insurance rates using GLM from the variable importance aspect.
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spelling doaj.art-ec846efb3f2a4649a07ab4ab3839e5252023-11-23T12:00:07ZengMDPI AGMathematics2227-73902022-05-011010163010.3390/math10101630Measuring Variable Importance in Generalized Linear Models for Modeling Size of Loss DistributionsShengkun Xie0Rebecca Luo1Global Management Studies, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, CanadaGlobal Management Studies, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, CanadaPredictive modeling is a critical technique in many real-world applications, including auto insurance rate-making and the decision making of rate filings review for regulation purposes. It is also important in predicting financial and economic risk in business and economics. Unlike testing hypotheses in statistical inference, results obtained from predictive modeling serve as statistical evidence for the decision making of the underlying problem and discovering the functional relationship between the response variable and the predictors. As a result of this, the variable importance measures become an essential aspect of helping to better understand the contributions of predictors to the built model. In this work, we focus on the study of using generalized linear models (GLM) for the size of loss distributions. In addition, we address the problem of measuring the importance of the variables used in the GLM to further evaluate their potential impact on insurance pricing. In this regard, we propose to shift the focus from variable importance measures of factor levels to factors themselves and to develop variable importance measures for factors included in the model. Therefore, this work is exclusively for modeling with categorical variables as predictors. This work contributes to the further development of GLM modeling to make it even more practical due to this added value. This study also aims to provide benchmark estimates to allow for the regulation of insurance rates using GLM from the variable importance aspect.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/10/10/1630rate filingsauto insurance regulationgeneralized linear modelsrate makingpredictive modelingvariable importance measure
spellingShingle Shengkun Xie
Rebecca Luo
Measuring Variable Importance in Generalized Linear Models for Modeling Size of Loss Distributions
Mathematics
rate filings
auto insurance regulation
generalized linear models
rate making
predictive modeling
variable importance measure
title Measuring Variable Importance in Generalized Linear Models for Modeling Size of Loss Distributions
title_full Measuring Variable Importance in Generalized Linear Models for Modeling Size of Loss Distributions
title_fullStr Measuring Variable Importance in Generalized Linear Models for Modeling Size of Loss Distributions
title_full_unstemmed Measuring Variable Importance in Generalized Linear Models for Modeling Size of Loss Distributions
title_short Measuring Variable Importance in Generalized Linear Models for Modeling Size of Loss Distributions
title_sort measuring variable importance in generalized linear models for modeling size of loss distributions
topic rate filings
auto insurance regulation
generalized linear models
rate making
predictive modeling
variable importance measure
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/10/10/1630
work_keys_str_mv AT shengkunxie measuringvariableimportanceingeneralizedlinearmodelsformodelingsizeoflossdistributions
AT rebeccaluo measuringvariableimportanceingeneralizedlinearmodelsformodelingsizeoflossdistributions