Alexander L. Brown
About
How do behavioral impulses and cognitive limitations interact with the economic incentives that push people toward optimization? My research uses the formal framework of economic theory to predict and explain human behavior in novel ways. It sits between purely empirical work that documents deviations from theory and purely theoretical work that derives predictions without testing them. While I have written papers at both ends of this spectrum, my broader goal is a unified theory of human behavior with the formality of economics.
I use most of the tools of economics, whether theory, econometrics, or experimental design, along with knowledge of the literature on psychology and human behavior. My research often begins with formal economic theory, which I distill into sharp predictions that can be tested in the lab. From there I follow the scientific approach: results either support the theory or do not, and those insights feed back into further theoretical development. I also aim to apply behavioral economic theory outside traditional economic settings. I have collaborated on federally sponsored projects to improve traffic and electricity systems and to study disclosure policies aimed at consumer protection. More recently, my coauthors and I received an award for responsible research from the American Marketing Association for work on consumer financial vulnerability.
30+ Publications
Journal articles in Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Economic Literature, Journal of Economic Theory, AEJ: Microeconomics, Nature Human Behaviour, Management Science, Journal of Marketing, Strategic Management Journal, and more
$3.4M+ Grant Funding
NSF, Federal Highway Administration, and university awards supporting research in game theory, transportation, and energy security
9+ PhD Students
Graduates placed at universities and industry; current students focus on topics in decision theory and analysis of behavioral economic concepts using biometric data
Research Themes
Behavioral Decision Making and Theory
These papers study choices under uncertainty, over time, or both. Topics include the robustness of loss aversion, behavioral strategies and impediments to savings and debt reduction, capital allocation within firms, and preferences over ambiguity and the resolution of uncertainty.
Equilibrium Feasibility, Selection, and Mechanism Design
This work asks when equilibrium, the primary solution concept in game theory, is a useful predictor of human behavior. Applications include estimating non-equilibrium models of limited strategic thinking in field settings and testing whether auctions and mechanisms perform as designed.
Policy Applications
Several projects apply experimental and behavioral results to policy. Examples include spillover effects of the CARD Act on student loan borrowing, informing drivers to improve traffic-grid utilization, and measuring and addressing consumer financial vulnerability.
Experimental Methodology
These studies examine the tools of experimental economics themselves, especially whether elicitation methods accurately measure underlying preferences. One paper also finds consistent bargaining and trade results across 2,000 classroom experiments.
Selected Recent Publications
- "When Consumer Financial Protection Spills Over: Student Loan Borrowing under the CARD Act"Management Science, forthcoming
- "Preferences for the Resolution of Risk and Ambiguity"Journal of Economic Theory, 2026
- "Meta-analysis of Empirical Estimates of Loss Aversion"Journal of Economic Literature, 2024
- "Beyond Income: Dynamic Consumer Financial Vulnerability"Journal of Marketing, 2023
- "Evidence of General Economic Principles of Bargaining and Trade"Nature Human Behaviour, 2020
Selected Grants
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"SCC-IRG Track1: Advanced Learning for Energy Risk Tracking (ALERT)"National Science Foundation
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"Using Behavioral Economics to Better Understand Managed Lane Use"Federal Highway Administration — Exploratory Advanced Research
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"Collaborative Research: Meta-Analysis of Empirical Estimates of Loss Aversion"National Science Foundation
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"Cybersecurity Risk Reduction for Small Businesses"Targeted Proposal Teams, Texas A&M University
Contact
Email: alexbrown@tamu.edu
Phone: (979) 845-7392
Office: 232 West Campus Social Sciences Building
Mailing Address:
Department of Economics, 4228 TAMU
Texas A&M University
2935 Research Parkway
College Station, TX 77843
