Research
Working Papers
Lagoudakis, A., (2025). Breaking Bad News: Economic Rationality, Emotion Regulation, and Cognitive Ability (Job Market Paper - Link)
Research Seed Funding (Proposal Competition Winner) – International Foundation for Research in Experimental Economics (IFREE)
Abstract: This study explores the impact of emotional distress induced by exposure to negative news about mass shootings on economic rationality. While economic theory suggests that consumer behavior can be rationalized through a utility function, the influence of emotional load and regulation on decision-making remains underexplored. This research addresses this gap by exogenously varying emotional load through exposure to negative news about mass shootings before participants engage in a 25-period budget allocation task designed to test adherence to the Generalized Axiom of Revealed Preference (GARP). A series of ex-ante simulations informed the experimental design, optimizing the number and composition of tasks to minimize the likelihood of random behavior passing the GARP test. The design also integrates a flexible, innovative method for assessing cognitive abilities. The research involved two rounds of data collection. In the first round, participants were exposed to negative news, and their emotional load was measured, providing evidence of significant emotional burden. Insights from this initial round informed the design of the second round, which included the 25-period budget allocation task to test adherence to GARP. My results indicate that exposure to negative news imposes a significant emotional burden and reduces success rates in basic cognitive tasks by 2.9 percentage points. Notably, economic rationality is not impaired by the emotional load on aggregate. Additional analysis suggests that the effect of emotional load on economic rationality varies with political orientation: very liberal participants exhibit diminished rationality (11.1 percentage points decrease), while conservatives demonstrate improved performance under emotional load. The study contributes to the understanding of the interplay between emotional load and economic behavior, highlighting how individual characteristics moderate the relationship between emotional distress and rationality.
Presented at MEA 2025 (Scheduled), SEA 2024, Institute for Humane Studies, ESA 2023, Israel Institute for Advanced Studies, Rice University
Lagoudakis, A., Byrne, A., & Rhone, A. (2025). Food Choices, Food Access, and Nutritional Outcomes
Supported by a United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Cooperative Agreement
Abstract: This paper examines the impact of food-away-from-home (FAFH) establishments on consumer shopping behavior and nutritional outcomes in underserved U.S. communities. Using household-level data from Circana, geospatial data from SafeGraph, and Census data, the analysis explores how exogenous variations in FAFH establishment openings influence the nutritional composition of food purchases, including caloric, sugar, and sodium content, and household health outcomes. The study employs the latest difference-in-differences methodologies to identify causal effects, focusing on low food-access areas and rural communities. The findings contribute to understanding the interplay between food environments and nutritional disparities in economically and geographically disadvantaged populations.
Presented at AAEA 2024, MEA 2023
Lagoudakis, A., Cuadros-Menaca, A., & Nayga Jr., R. M. (2024). Income and Nutrition Inequality: The Role of Dollar Stores and Food-Away-from-Home Establishments on Food Systems in America (Draft Available Upon Request)
Abstract: This research investigates the role of dollar stores in shaping food environments and nutritional outcomes in areas with low food access across the United States. The study has three primary objectives: (1) to characterize the local food environment in underserved areas using novel points-of-interest datasets such as TDLinx, SafeGraph, and NETS; (2) to assess the economic value and behavioral impact of new dollar store openings on household expenditures and nutrition outcomes, including cost impacts and changes in shopping behavior; and (3) to explore the interactive effects of dollar stores and food-away-from-home (FAFH) establishments on food and nutrition security. By integrating scanner data with geospatial and retail datasets, this research investigates how dollar stores influence the nutritional content of household food purchases, particularly in conjunction with the availability of FAFH establishments. The findings aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of dollar stores' economic and behavioral impacts in underserved communities, informing policy solutions to improve food access and nutrition.
Presented at MEA 2024, NSF NRT Annual Meeting (Arizona State University)
Publications
Crespi, J. M., Hayes, D. J., Lagoudakis, A., Lusk, J. L., Schreiber, D., Wu, Q., & Bruce, A. S. (In Press). Differential Brain Activations between Democrats and Republicans when Considering Food Purchases, Politics and the Life Sciences (Draft Available Upon Request)
Abstract: In this paper, we measured brain activity using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm, then conducted a whole-brain analysis while healthy adult Democrats and Republicans made non-hypothetical food choices. While the food purchase decisions were not significantly different, we found that brain activation during decision-making differs according to the participant’s party affiliation. Models of partisanship based on left insula, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, superior frontal gyrus, or premotor/supplementary motor area activations achieve better than expected accuracy. Understanding the differential function of neural systems that lead to indistinguishable mundane choices may provide leverage in explaining the broader mechanisms of partisanship.
Presented at ESA 2024
Caputo, V., Lagoudakis, A., Shupp, R., & Bazzani, C. (2023). Comparing Experimental Auctions and Real Choice Experiments in Food Choice: A Homegrown and Induced Value Analysis, European Review of Agricultural Economics, 50(5), 1796-1823. [Published Article]
Experimental Economics Section Best Graduate Student Paper Award, Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA)
Lagoudakis, A., McKendree, M. G., Malone, T., & Caputo, V. (2020). Incorporating Producer Opinions into a SWOT Analysis of the U.S. Tart Cherry Industry. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 23(1030-2020-1770), 547-561. [Published Article]
Caputo, V., Sacchi, G., & Lagoudakis, A. (2018). Traditional Food Products and Consumer Choices: A Review. In Case Studies in the Traditional Food Sector (pp. 47-87). Woodhead Publishing. [Published Book Chapter]
Other Research Projects
Brittes Tuthill, J., Johnson, L., Kling, N., & Lagoudakis, A. (2024). (In)conveniently (Un)healthy: Exploring Food Access and Nutrition Inequities in Iowa. [ArcGIS StoryMaps]
Butcher, E., Lagoudakis, A., & Soborowicz, L. (2023). Food Access Inequity. [GitHub Repository]
Third Place, Local Food Economics In-Person Data Visualization Challenge - USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and AAEA Graduate Student Section
Butcher, E., Lagoudakis, A., & Soborowicz, L. (2022). Spatial Equilibrium and Local Competition. [GitHub Repository]
Butcher, E., Lagoudakis, A., & Singh, R. (2020). Ramsey Model Solver (Dynamic Programming). [GitHub Repository]
Other Work in Progress
Lagoudakis, A., (2022). To Hedge or Not to Hedge? An Investigation of Farm Business Decision-Making Regarding Risk (Draft Available Upon Request)
Lagoudakis, A., (2022). The Influence of Ethnocentrism on Consumer Welfare
Lagoudakis, A., Behe, B. & Malone, T. (2019). Market Segments in the Fresh Balaton Tart Cherry Market in Michigan, Staff Paper Series 287681, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics. [Working Paper]
Certificates
Data-Driven Food, Energy, and Water Decision Making Certificate (12 credit hours-graduate level) - Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Iowa State University - Fall 2023 [More Information]