Contact Information
440 Mumford Hall
1301 W Gregory Dr
M/C 710
Urbana, IL 61801
Biography
Dr. Angela Lyons is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois and the Director for the Center for Economic and Financial Education. She received her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Texas at Austin. Her work currently focuses on emerging issues in development and behavioral economics, with emphasis on economic and financial inclusion, financial and digital literacy, fintech, poverty and inequality, and the economic empowerment and protection of vulnerable populations. To date, Dr. Lyons has assisted over 40 countries in designing practical and sustainable models to improve the economic and financial resilience of communities worldwide. She is currently a member of the T20 (or Think20), which is the research and policy advice network of the G20. The T20 provides policy recommendations to assist the G20 Leaders in addressing pressing global challenges and creating more inclusive, resilient societies around three main pillars - people, planet, and prosperity. She has served now on the T20 under three G20 Presidencies (Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Italy). As a member of the T20, Dr. Lyons makes concrete recommendations on the future of work and education in the digital age, as well as how to leverage the digital transition to promote the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Most recently, Dr. Lyons was appointed to the Data Governance Council for the Global Fintech Index (GFI), the first real-time ranking of fintech ecosystems worldwide. She also chairs the Data Taskforce for the Fintech Diversity Radar, the first global data platform to measure gender diversity in fintech and women's contributions to the digital economy. Currently, she is working on research, in partnership with key humanitarian organizations (UNHCR, WFP, and UNICEF), which examines the economic vulnerabilities and challenges facing Syrian refugees in Lebanon to better inform strategies needed to support and enhance their livelihoods and resiliency.
Research Interests
Household finance; behavioral economics; international development; global economic and financial inclusion; digital finance and inclusion; poverty and wealth inequality; financial security of vulnerable populations; financial education and consumer protection; microfinancing for small and medium-sized enterprises
Research Description
My research program uses applied economic tools to address policy-relevant questions in development and behavioral economics. Specifically, my work focuses on emerging issues related to economic and financial inclusion, financial and digital literacy, fintech, poverty and inequality, gender diversity among MSMEs, and the economic empowerment and protection of vulnerable populations worldwide.
Education
- Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 2001
- M.S., University of Texas at Austin, 1997
links
Highlighted Publications
- Lyons, A. C., Kass-Hanna, J., & Fava, A. (2021). Fintech development and savings, borrowing, and remittances: A comparative study of emerging economies. Emerging Markets Review, in press.
- Kass-Hanna, J., Lyons, A. C., & Liu, F. (2021). Building financial resilience through financial and digital literacy in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Emerging Markets Review.
- Lyons, A. C. (forthcoming). The evolution of financial services in the digital age. In J. Grable & S. Chatterjee (Eds.), Handbook of Personal Finance. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter.
- Lyons, A. C. (forthcoming). Behavioral economics and financial decision making. In J. Grable & S. Chatterjee (Eds.), Handbook of Personal Finance. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter.
- Lyons, A. C., & Kass-Hanna, J. (forthcoming). A multidimensional approach to defining and measuring financial literacy in the digital age. In Handbook on Financial Literacy Research, ed. Gianni Nicolini & Brenda Cude. Berlin, Germany: London, UK: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
- Lyons, A. C., & Kass-Hann, J. (2021). A methodological overview to defining and measuring "digital" financial literacy. Financial Planning Review. 4(2), e1113.
- Lyons, A. C., & Kass-Hanna, J. (2021). Financial inclusion, financial literacy, and economically vulnerable populations in the Middle East and North Africa. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 57(9): 2687-2726.
- Lyons, A. C., Kass-Hanna, J., & Montoya, A. C. (2021). A multidimensional approach to measuring vulnerability to poverty of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Economic Research Forum's Working Paper Series No. 1472. Cairo, Egypt: Economic Research Forum.
- Grable, J. E., Lyons, A. C., & Heo, W. (2019). A test of traditional and psychometric relative risk tolerance measures on household financial risk taking. Finance Research Letters, 30, 8-13.
- Yin, Z., Peng, C., & Lyons, A. (2019). The development and influence of Chinese family inclusive finance [中国家庭普惠金融的发展及影响]. Management World [管理世界], 2, 74-87. DOI：10.19744/j.cnki.11-1235/f.2019.0021 [In Chinese]
- Lyons, A. C., Grable, J. E., & Joo, S. H. (2018). A cross-country analysis of population aging and financial security. The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 12, 96-117.
- Lyons, A. C., Grable, J. E., & Zeng, T. (2019). Impacts of Financial Literacy on Loan Demand of Financially Excluded Households in China. ADBI Working Paper Series No. 923. Tokyo, Japan: Asian Development Bank Institute. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/486521/adbi-wp923.p…
- Lyons, A. C., Grable, J. E., & Zeng, T. (2017). Infrastructure, urbanization, and the financial inclusion of Chinese households. ADBI Working Paper Series No. 767. Tokyo, Japan: Asian Development Bank Institute. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/336801/adbi-wp767.p…
- Lucas, E. C., Mendes-Da-Silva, W., & Lyons, A. C. (2017). Gender differences in attitudes towards driving and demand for private insurance: Evidence from middle class drivers. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 47, 72-85.
- Yilmazer, T., & Lyons, A. C. (2010). Marriage and the allocation of assets in women's defined contribution plans. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 31(2), 121-137.
- Fisher, J., & Lyons, A. (2010). Information and credit access: using bankruptcy as a signal. Applied Economics, 42(25), 3175-3193.
- Kim, H., & Lyons, A. C. (2008). No pain, no strain: Impact of health on the financial security of older Americans. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 42(1), 9-36.
- Lyons, A. C., & Yilmazer, T. (2005). Health and financial strain: Evidence from the survey of consumer finances. Southern Economic Journal, 71(4), 873-890.
- Lyons, A. C., Rachlis, M., & Scherpf, E. (2007). What's in a score? Differences in consumers' credit knowledge using OLS and quantile regressions. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 41(2), 223-249.
- Fisher, J. D., & 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., Palmer, L., Jayaratne, K. S., & Scherpf, E. (2006). Are we making the grade? A national overview of financial education and program evaluation. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 40(2), 208-235.