Biography
Joanna Stavins is a senior economist and policy advisor in the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department. Her research and policy work focuses on understanding how and why consumers pay the way they do, and it includes all aspects of consumer payment behavior. While she was with the Research Department's Consumer Payments Research Center, Stavins analyzed the costs of alternative payment instruments and the demand for those instruments, and she estimated social costs and benefits of various payment methods. In addition to studying payments, she has conducted econometric analyses of pricing and market structure in several industries, including personal computers and airlines.
Stavins has served as an economic advisor to payments groups within and outside the Federal Reserve System and has worked on Federal Reserve payment-related policy initiatives. She joined the Boston Fed in 1995 after working as a senior analyst at National Economic Research Associates. She earned her BA and PhD in economics from Harvard University.
Work Experience
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Senior Economist and Policy Advisor, 2005–
Senior Economist, 2001–2005
Economist, 1995–2001
National Economic Research Associates (NERA)
Senior Analyst, 1993–1995
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Research Assistant, 1989–1993
Abt Associates
Economic Analyst, 1987–1988
Education
PhD, Economics, Harvard University, 1993
MA, Economics, Tufts University, 1987
BA, Economics (cum laude), Harvard University, 1985
Public Service
Referee: American Economic Review; Quarterly Journal of Economics; Review of Economics and Statistics; Review of Industrial Organization; Journal of Economics and Business; Economic Enquiry; Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking; Review of Network Economics; Southern Economic Journal
Primary fields of research
Payments systems, analysis of pricing and market structures
Publications
Refereed journal articles
“Credit Card Debt and Consumer Payment Choice: What Can We Learn from Credit Bureau Data?” 2020. Journal of Financial Services Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10693-019-00330-8
“Consumer Preferences for Payment Methods: Role of Discounts and Surcharge.” 2018. Journal of Banking and Finance 94(September 2018): 35–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2018.06.013
"Did the Target Data Breach Change Consumer Assessments of Payment Card Security?" with Claire Greene. 2017. Journal of Payments Strategy & Systems 11(2).
"Are There Social Spillovers in Consumers' Security Assessments of Payment Instruments?" with Charles Kahn and José Liñares-Zegarra. 2017. Journal of Financial Services Research 52(1–2): 5–34.
"Explaining Adoption and Use of Payment Instruments by U.S. Consumers," with Sergei Koulayev, Marc Rysman, and Scott Schuh. 2016. RAND Journal of Economics 47(2): 293–325.
"How Do Speed and Security Influence Consumers' Payment Behavior?" with Scott Schuh. 2016. Contemporary Economic Policy 34(4): 595–613.
"Merchant Steering of Consumer Payment Choice: Evidence from a 2012 Diary Survey," with Oz Shy. 2015. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics 55: 1–9.
"The Credit CARD Act of 2009: What Did Banks Do?" with Vikram Jambulapati. 2014. Journal of Banking & Finance 46: 21–30.
"Merchant Steering of Consumer Payment Choice: Lessons Learned from Consumer Surveys," with Oz Shy. 2014. Survey Methods: Insights from the Field.
"How Consumers Pay: Adoption and Use of Payments," with Scott Schuh. 2013. Accounting and Finance Research 2(2): 1–21.
"An Economic Analysis of the 2011 Settlement between the Department of Justice and Credit Card Networks," with Scott Schuh, Oz Shy, and Robert Triest 2012. Journal of Competition Law and Economics 8(1): 107–144; doi: 10.1093/joclec/nhr020
"Mobile Payments at the Retail Point of Sale in the United States: Prospects for Adoption," with Marianne Crowe and Marc Rysman. 2010. Review of Network Economics 9(4).
"Credit Card Debt and Payment Use," with Charles Sprenger. 2010. Financial Services Review 19(1): 17–36.
"Why Are (Some) Consumers (Finally) Writing Fewer Checks? The Role of Payment Characteristics," with Scott Schuh. 2010. Journal of Banking and Finance 34: 1745–1758.
"Frontier Policy Issues in Consumer Payment Behavior," with Scott Schuh. 2009. Journal of Payments Strategy and Systems 3(4).
"Network Externalities and Technology Adoption: Lessons from Electronic Payments," with Gautam Gowrisankaran. 2004. RAND Journal of Economics 35(2): 260–276.
"Price Discrimination in the Airline Market: The Effect of Market Concentration." 2001. The Review of Economics and Statistics 83(1).
"The Effect of Pricing on Demand and Revenue in Federal Reserve ACH Payment Processing," with Paul Bauer. 1999. Journal of Financial Services Research 16(1): 27–45.
"Estimating Demand Elasticities in a Differentiated Product Industry: The Personal Computer Market." 1997. Journal of Economics and Business 49(4): 347–367.
"Model Entry and Exit in a Differentiated Product Industry: The Personal Computer Market." 1995. The Review of Economics and Statistics 77(4): 571–584.
"Medicare Use in the Last Ninety Days of Life," with Gary L. Gaumer. 1992. Health Services Research 26(6).
Other journal articles
"How Do Consumers Make Their Payment Choices?" in "Transformacion Digital en los Medios de Pago." 2016. Papeles de Economia Espanola (149): 42–57.
"Network Externalities in the Market for Electronic Check Payments." 2003. New England Economic Review.
"Perspective on Payments." 2003. Regional Review 13(1).
"Who Uses Electronic Check Products: A Look at Depository Institutions." 2002. New England Economic Review Third Quarter.
"While More People Are Paying Electronically, Many of Us Still Cling to Checks." 2002. Connecticut Business Times. April.
"While More People Are Paying Electronically, Many of Us Still Cling to Checks." 2001. Regional Review Q4.
"Effect of Consumer Characteristics on the Use of Payment Instruments." 2001. New England Economic Review 3.
"Has Widespread Use of Credit Cards Contributed to the Increase in Personal Bankruptcy?" 2001. Regional Review Q1.
"Credit Card Borrowing, Delinquency, and Personal Bankruptcy." 2000. New England Economic Review. July/August.
"ATM Fees: Does Bank Size Matter?" 2000. New England Economic Review January/February: 13–24.
"Checking Accounts: Fees and Features, Consumer Preferences, Impact on Bank Revenues." 1999. New England Banking Trends, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston 22(Fall).
"Checking Accounts: What Do Banks Offer and What Do Customers Value?" 1999. New England Economic Review March/April: 3–13.
"Has Antitrust Policy in Banking Become Obsolete?" 1998. New England Economic Review March/April: 13–26.
"A Comparison of Social Costs and Benefits of Paper Check Presentment and ECP with Truncation." 1997. New England Economic Review July/August: 27–44.
"Can Demand Elasticities Explain Sticky Credit Card Rates?" 1996. New England Economic Review July/August: 43–54.
"Firm Strategies in the Personal Computer Market: Are Established Brands Better Off?" 1995. New England Economic Review November/December: 13–24.
Working papers and other unpublished papers
“Defining Households That Are Underserved in Digital Payment Services,” with Claire Greene, Fumiko Hayashi, Alicia Lloro, Oz Shy, and Ying Lei Toh. 2024. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 24-10. https://doi.org/10.29412/res.wp.2024.10
“Consumer Payment Behavior by Income and Demographics,” with Claire Greene and Julian Perry. 2024. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 24-8.https://doi.org/10.29412/res.wp.2024.08
“Income and the CARD Act’s Ability-to-pay Rule in the US Credit Card Market,” with Scott Fulford. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 24-3. https://doi.org/10.29412/res.wp.2024.03
“Personality Traits and Financial Outcomes,” with Claire Greene and Oz Shy. 2023. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 23-4. https://doi.org/10.29412/res.wp.2023.04
“Who Is Paying All These Fees? An Empirical Analysis of Bank Account and Credit Card Fees,” with Oz Shy. 2022. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 22-18. https://doi.org/10.29412/res.wp.2022.18
“Credit Card Debt Puzzle: Liquid Assets to Pay Bills,” with Claire Greene. 2022. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 22-8. https://doi.org/10.29412/res.wp.2022.08
“Payments Evolution from Paper to Electronic Payments by Merchant Type,” with Ruth Cohen and Oz Shy. 2022. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 22-6. https://doi.org/10.29412/res.wp.2022.06
“Has COVID Changed Consumer Payment Behavior?” with Claire Greene and Ellen Merry. 2021. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 21-12. https://doi.org/10.29412/res.wp.2021.12
“Payments Evolution from Paper to Electronic: Bill Payments and Purchases.” 2021. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 21-5. https://doi.org/10.29412/res.wp.2021.05
“Distributional Effects of Payment Card Pricing and Merchant Cost Pass-through in the United States and Canada,” with Marie-Hélène Felt, Fumiko Hayashi, and Angelika Welte. 2020. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 20-13.
“Does Getting a Mortgage Affect Credit Card Use?” with Scott Fulford. 2019. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 19-8.
“How Does Liquidity Affect Consumer Payment Choice?” 2019. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 19-7.
“Credit Card Debt and Consumer Payment Choice: What Can We Learn from Credit Bureau Data?” 2018. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 18-7.
"The 2017 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice," with Claire Greene. 2018. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Research Data Reports No. 18-5.
“The 2016 and 2017 Surveys of Consumer Payment Choice: Summary Results,” with Claire Greene. 2018. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Data Reports No. 18-3.
"The 2012 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice," with Claire Greene and Scott Schuh. 2018. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Data Reports No. 18–1.
"Faster Payments: Market Structure and Policy Considerations," with Aaron Rosenbaum, Garth Baughman, Mark Manuszak, Kylie Stewart, and Fumiko Hayashi. 2017. Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2017-100. Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; and Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Current Policy Perspectives No. 17-4.
"The 2015 Survey of Consumer Payment Choice: Summary Results," with Claire Greene and Scott Schuh. 2017. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Data Reports No. 17–3.
"How Do Consumers Make Their Payment Choices?" 2017. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Data Reports No. 17–1.
"Payment Discounts and Surcharges: The Role of Consumer Preferences," with Huijia Wu. 2017. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 17-4.
"The Effect of Demographics on Payment Behavior: Panel Data with Sample Selection." 2016. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 16-5.
"Are There Social Spillovers in Consumers' Security Assessments of Payment Instruments?" with Charles Kahn and José Liñares-Zegarra. 2016. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 16-19.
"The Effect of Demographics on Payment Behavior: Panel Data with Sample Selection." 2016. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Working Papers No. 16-5.
"Payment Instrument Adoption and Use in the United States, 2009–2013, by Consumers' Demographic Characteristics," with Sean Connolly. 2016. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Data Reports No. 15-6.
"The 2013 Survey of Consumer Payment Choice: Summary Results," with Scott Schuh. 2015. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Data Reports No. 15-4.
"The 2011 and 2012 Surveys of Consumer Payment Choice," with Scott Schuh. 2014. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Data Reports No. 14-1.
"Effects of Credit Scores on Consumer Payment Choice," with Fumiko Hayashi. 2012. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Public Policy Discussion Papers No. 12-1 and Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Research Working Papers No. 12-03.
"Potential Effects of an Increase in Debit Card Fees." 2011. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Public Policy Briefs No. 11-3.
"Who Gains and Who Loses from Credit Card Payments? Theory and Calibrations," with Scott Schuh and Oz Shy. 2010. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Public Policy Discussion Papers No. 10-3.
"Summary of the Workshop on Consumer Behavior and Payment Choice," with Scott Schuh. 2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Public Policy Discussion Papers No. 08-5.
"Consumer Behavior and Payment Choice: 2006 Conference Summary," with Margaret Carten, Dan Littman, and Scott Schuh. 2007. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Public Policy Discussion Papers No. 07-4.
"Consumer Behavior and Payment Choice: A Conference Summary," with Marianne Crowe and Scott Schuh. 2006. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Public Policy Discussion Papers No. 06-1.
"Do Bank Mergers Affect Federal Reserve Check Volume?" 2004. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department Public Policy Discussion Papers No. 04-7.
"Network Externalities and Technology Adoption: Lessons from Electronic Payments," with Gautam Gowrisankaran. 2002. NBER Working Papers No. 8943.