Publications

Faculty affiliates of the U of I Center for Economic and Financial Education have demonstranted the academic rigor of their research through numerous refereed publications in top-tier academic journals. Below is a sampling of those publications.

Credit Access, Delinquency, and Bankruptcy

Fisher, J., and Lyons, A. C. (in press). Information and Credit Access: Using Bankruptcy as a Signal. Applied Economics. doi: 10.1080/00036840802112331

Lyons, A. C., Rachlis, M., & Scherpf, E. (2007). What’s in a Score? Differences in Consumers’ Credit Knowledge Using OLS and Quantile Regressions. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 41(2), 223-249.

Fisher, J., and Lyons, A. C. (2006). Till Debt Do Us Part: A Model of Divorce and Personal Bankruptcy. Review of Economics of the Household, 4(1), 35-52.

Lyons, A. C., & Fisher J. (2006). Gender Differences in Debt Repayment Decisions After Divorce. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 40(2), 324-346.

Fisher, J., & Lyons, A. C. (2005). The Ability of Women to Repay Debt After Divorce. Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy, 27(3/4), 161-168.

Lyons, A. C. (2003). How Credit Access Has Changed Over Time for U.S. Households. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 37(2), 231-255.

Economic Welfare of Low-Income Populations

Gundersen, C., Jolliffe, D., & Tiehen, L. (in press). The Challenge of Program Evaluation: When Increasing Program Participation Decreases the Relative Well-Being of Participants. Food Policy.

Arends-Kuenning, M., Summerfield, G., & Leon, M. P. (2008). Financial Practices of Latino Immigrants in a Midwest City: Lessons for Consumer Educators. The Journal of Consumer Education, 25, 32-45.

Gundersen, C. (2008). Measuring the Extent, Depth, and Severity of Food Insecurity: An Application to American Indians in the United States. Journal of Population Economics, 21(1), 191-215.

Gundersen, C., & Kreider, B. (2008). Food Stamps and Food Insecurity: What Can Be Learned in the Presence of Nonclassical Measurement Error? Journal of Human Resources, 43(2), 352-382.

Gundersen, C., & Offutt, S. (2005). Farm Poverty and Safety Nets. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 87(4), 885–899.

Bitler, M., Gundersen, C., & Marquis, G. (2005). Are WIC Non-Recipients at Less Nutritional Risk than Recipients? An Application of the Food Security Measure. Review of Agricultural Economics, 27(3), 433–438.

Jolliffe, D., Gundersen, C., Tiehen, L., & Winicki, J. (2005). Food Stamp Benefits and Child Poverty. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 87(3), 569-581.

Gundersen, C. (2005). A Dynamic Analysis of the Well-Being of WIC Recipients and Eligible Non-Recipients. Children and Youth Services Review, 27(1), 99-114.

Gundersen, C., Weinreb, L., Wehler, C., & Hosmer, D. (2003). Homelessness and Food Insecurity. Journal of Housing Economics, 12(3), 250-272.

Gundersen, C., & Oliveira, V. (2001). The Food Stamp Program and Food Insufficiency. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 84(3), 875-887.

Financial Education and Program Evaluation

Schuchardt, J., Hanna, S., Hira, T. K., Lyons, A. C., Palmer, L., & Xiao, J. J. (in press). Financial Literacy and Education Research Priorities. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning.

Chang, Y., & Lyons, A. C. (2008). Are Financial Education Programs Meeting the Needs of Financially Disadvantaged Consumers? Journal of Personal Finance, 7(2), 84-109.

Arends-Kuenning, M., Summerfield, G., & Leon, M. P. (2008). Financial Practices of Latino Immigrants in a Midwest City: Lessons for Consumer Educators. The Journal of Consumer Education, 25, 32-45.

Lyons, A. C., Jayaratne, K. S. U., & Palmer, L. (2008). Financial Education and Program Evaluation for Extension Professionals: From Research to Practical Application. Journal of the National Extension Association Family & Consumer Sciences, 3, 29-35.

Lyons, A. C., & Neelakantan, U. (2008). Potential and Pitfalls of Applying Theory to the Practice of Financial Education. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 42(1), 106-112.

Jayaratne, K. S. U., Lyons, A. C., & Palmer, L. (2008). A User-Friendly Evaluation Resource Kit for Extension Agents Delivering Financial Education Programs. Journal of Extension, 46(1). Retrieved June 12, 2009, from http://www.joe.org/joe/2008february/tt3.shtml.

Lyons, A. C., Rachlis, M., & Scherpf, E. (2007). What's in a Score? Differences in Consumers' Credit Knowledge Using OLS and Quantile Regressions. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 41(2), 223-249.

Lyons, A. C., Chang, Y., & Scherpf, E. (2006). Translating Financial Education into Behavior Change for Low-Income Populations. Financial Counseling and Planning Journal, 17(2), 27-45.

Lyons, A. C., Palmer, L., Jayaratne, K. S. U., & Scherpf, E. (2006). Are We Making the Grade? A National Overview of Financial Education and Program Evaluation. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 40(2), 208-235.

Lyons, A. C. (2005). Financial Education and Program Evaluation: Challenges and Potentials for Financial Professionals. Journal of Personal Finance, 4(4), 56-68.

Lyons, A. C. (2004/2005). Evaluating Financial Education for the Unbanked: Does One Size Fit All? The Journal of Consumer Education, 22, 43-52.

Lyons, A. C. & Scherpf, E. (2004). Moving from Unbanked to Banked: Evidence from the Money Smart Program. Financial Services Review, 13(3), 215-231.

Financial Behaviors of Young Adults

Shim, S., Xiao, J. J., Barber, B., & Lyons, A. C. (in press). Pathways to Life Success: A Model of Financial Well-being for Young Adults. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2009.02.003

Lyons, A. C. (2008). Risky Credit Card Behavior of College Students. In J. J. Xiao (Ed.), Advances in Consumer Financial Behavior Research (pp. 185-207). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Lawrence, F. C., Cude, B. J., Lyons, A. C., Marks, L., & Machtmes, K. (2006). College Students' Financial Practices: A Mixed Methods Analysis. The Journal of Consumer Education, 23, 13-26.

Lyons, A. C., Scherpf, E., & Roberts, H. (2006). Financial Education and Communication Between Parents and Children. The Journal of Consumer Education, 23, 64-76.

Lyons, A. C. (2004/2005). A Qualitative Study on Providing Credit Education to College Students. The Journal of Consumer Education, 22, 9-18.

Lyons, A. C. (2004). A Profile of Financially At-Risk College Students. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 38(1), 56-80.

Lyons, A. C., & Hunt, J. (2003). The Credit Practices and Financial Education Needs of Community College Students. Financial Counseling and Planning Journal, 14(2), 63-74.

Health and Financial Strain

Lohman, B., Stewart, S., Gundersen, C., Garasky, S., & Eisenmann, J. (in press). Adolescent Overweight and Obesity: Links to Food Insecurity and Individual, Maternal, and Family Stressors. Journal of Adolescent Health.

Neelakantan, U., Lyons, A. C., Kim, H., & Sanchez-Mier, L. (in press). The Financial Impact of Diabetes on Older Americans. The Journal of Consumer Education.

Gundersen, C., Lohman, B., Garasky, S., Stewart, S., & Eisenmann, J. (2008). Food Security, Maternal Stressors, and Overweight among Low-Income U.S. Children: Results from NHANES 1999-2002. Pediatrics, 122, e529-e540.

Kim, H., & Lyons, A. C. (2008). No Pain, No Strain: Impact of Health on the Financial Security of Older Americans. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 42(1), 9-36.

Lyons, A. C., & Yilmazer, T. (2005). Financial Strain and Health: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances. Southern Economic Journal, 71(4), 873-890.

Household Bargaining and Decision-Making

Neelakantan, U. (2009). The Impact of Changes in Child Support Policy. Journal of Population Economics, 22(3), 641-663.

Lim, S. S., Winter-Nelson, A., & Arends-Kuenning, M. (2007). Household Bargaining Power and Agricultural Supply Response: Evidence from Ethiopian Coffee Growers, 35(7), 1204-1220.

Lyons, A. C., Neelakantan, U., & Scherpf, E. (2007). Gender and Marital Differences in Wealth and Investment Decisions. Journal of Personal Finance, 6(4), 57-75.

Household Investments in Education and Human Capital

Arends-Kuenning, M., & Duryea, S. (2006). The Effects of Parental Presence, Parents’ Education, and Household Headship on Children’s Schooling and Work in Latin America. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 27(2), 263-286.

Ahmed, A., & Arends-Kuenning, M. (2006). Do Crowded Classrooms Crowd Out Learning? Evidence from the Food for Education Programme in Bangladesh. World Development, 34(4), 665-684.

Arends-Kuenning, M., & Amin, S. (2004). School Incentive Programs and Children’s Activities: The Case of Bangladesh. Comparative Education Review, 48(3), 295-317.

Ahmed, A., & Arends-Kuenning, M. (2003). Do Crowded Classrooms Crowd Out Learning? Evidence from the Food for Education Programme in Bangladesh. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 24(4), 377-378.

Duryea, S., & Arends-Kuenning, M. (2003). School Attendance, Child Labor, and Local Labor Markets in Urban Brazil. World Development, 31(7), 1165-1178.

Savings, Investments, and Portfolio Choice

Neelakantan, U. (in press). Estimation and Impact of Gender Differences in Risk Tolerance. Economic Inquiry.