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
Dr. Lyons has assisted over 40 countries in designing practical and sustainable models to improve the economic and financial resilience of communities worldwide. She addresses pressing global challenges that create more inclusive, resilient societies around three main pillars - people, planet, and prosperity. Focus is on 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.
Education
- Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 2001
- M.S., University of Texas at Austin, 1997
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor, Agricultural and Consumer Economics
Professor, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Professor, Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies
Professor, Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Professor, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
Recent Publications
Lyons, A. C., Kass-Hanna, J., & Montoya Castano, A. (2023). A multidimensional approach to measuring vulnerability to poverty among refugee populations. Journal of International Development, 35(7), 2014-2045. https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3757
Kass-Hanna, J., Lyons, A. C., & Liu, F. (2022). Building financial resilience through financial and digital literacy in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Emerging Markets Review, 51, Article 100846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ememar.2021.100846
Lyons, A. C., & Kass-Hanna, J. (2022). Behavioral Economics and Financial Decision Making. In De Gruyter Handbook of Personal Finance (pp. 433-450). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110727692-025
Lyons, A. C., Kass-Hanna, J., & Fava, A. (2022). Fintech development and savings, borrowing, and remittances: A comparative study of emerging economies. Emerging Markets Review, 51, Article 100842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ememar.2021.100842
Lyons, A. C., & Kass-Hanna, J. (2022). The Evolution of Financial Services in the Digital Age. In De Gruyter Handbook of Personal Finance (pp. 405-430). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110727692-024