Bruce, A. S., Crespi, J. M., Hayes, D. J., Lagoudakis, A., Lusk, J. L., Schreiber, D. M., & Wu, Q. (2025). Differential brain activations between Democrats and Republicans when considering food purchases, Politics and the Life Sciences, 1-17. [Published Article]
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)
Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, MSU
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]
Lagoudakis, A., (2025). Breaking Bad News: Economic Rationality, Emotion Regulation, and Cognitive Ability (Draft Available Upon Request)
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). 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 (11.2 percentage points decrease), while conservatives demonstrate improved performance under emotional load. The study contributes to understanding the interplay between emotional load and economic behavior, highlighting how individual characteristics moderate the relationship between emotional distress and rationality.
Presented at ESA 2025 (Scheduled), Tennessee State University (Scheduled), EAAE Congress 2025, AAEA 2025, MEA 2025, Iowa State University, SEA 2024, Institute for Humane Studies, ESA 2023, Israel Institute for Advanced Studies, Rice University
Lagoudakis, A. (2025). Heterogeneity in Food Insecurity: A Geographically Weighted Regression Analysis of Contiguous
U.S. Counties (Draft Available Upon Request)
Abstract: This study seeks to combine publicly available data from various sources (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census, and United States Department of Agriculture data) to examine the spatial heterogeneity in the relationships between food retail availability (food-at-home retailers (FAH) and fast-food establishments), sociodemographic characteristics and food insecurity at the county-level of the contiguous United States. While various economic research studies food insecurity and its predictors, very few studies have considered the spatial variation of those relationships. A population-weighted global regression model showed a positive association between food insecurity and the availability of fast-food restaurants (1.548 percentage points increase per additional restaurant per 1,000 residents) and a negative association with FAH retailer availability (1.895 percentage points decrease per additional retailer per 1,000 residents). In addition, median household income and education emerged as protectors against food insecurity, while highway proximity, low food accessibility, and ethnicity positively correlated with food insecurity. Using Geographically Weighted Regressions (GWR) at the U.S. Census divisional level, I conclude that a GWR model describes the data significantly better than a global regression model and shows that the association between food insecurity and the vast majority of explanatory variables in my analysis significantly varies over space, with income, racial and ethnic composition and food accessibility emerging as the most spatially heterogeneous predictors.
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)
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 (Role: Cooperator PI)
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
Elobeid, A., Kim, B., & Lagoudakis, A. (2025). Transforming Economics Examinations: A Token-Based System for Enhanced Learning and Student Success
Supported by an Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Miller Faculty Fellowship (Role: Collaborator)
Abstract: This project introduces a token-based examination support system designed to transform traditional assessment practices in higher education. Students will receive three types of tokens that can be exchanged during exams for different levels of standardized hints, ranging from basic concept reminders to detailed guidance. This innovative approach addresses multiple challenges in higher education by enhancing student control to reduce test anxiety, offering flexible support options to accommodate diverse learning needs, and promoting strategic decision-making to enhance student learning and performance. The system is particularly beneficial in quantitative courses where mathematical anxiety and varying learning speeds often impact performance. Unlike traditional standardized accommodations, our approach enables students to customize their support based on individual needs while maintaining academic rigor. Although initially implemented in economics courses, the system's design allows for seamless adaptation across STEM disciplines and any field requiring quantitative problem-solving skills.
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]
Lagoudakis, A., (2022). To Hedge or Not to Hedge? An Investigation of Farm Business Decision-Making Regarding Risk (Draft Available Upon Request)
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]
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]
Publishing Applied Economic Research on Health and Nutrition (PC52) – Post-Conference Workshop, 2023 AAEA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, July 2023 [More Information]
The 33rd Advanced School in Economic Theory: Imperfect Cognition and Economic Behaviour – Israel Institute for Advanced Studies, Jerusalem, Israel, June 2023 [More Information]
International Foundation for Research in Experimental Economics 2023: Adding to the Experimental Toolbox Workshop – Rice University, Houston, TX, February 2023 [More Information]
Food Access at Dollar Stores Workshop – Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, June 2022 [More Information]