Alec Brandon

Alec Brandon is an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, where he focuses on behavioral economics using empirical methods. His research explores the long-term effectiveness of social nudges, racial profiling in policing, and income targeting by rideshare drivers. Prior to his faculty role, he earned his PhD, MA, and BA in Economics from the University of Chicago.

• Education: PhD, MA, and BA in Economics from the University of Chicago

Brandon’s research addresses critical questions in public policy and behavioral economics. He investigates how social nudges (e.g., peer-comparison mailers for energy conservation) produce persistent behavioral changes, and whether workers (like Lyft drivers) target daily income levels. His work often leverages field experiments in real-world markets to uncover behavioral mechanisms.

His publications in journals like Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences highlight interdisciplinary impacts, particularly in energy policy and labor economics. Forthcoming and 2025 papers examine reference-dependent labor supply and racial disparities in traffic citations.

Brandon collaborates with researchers across disciplines, including plans to integrate behavioral economics into healthcare via Johns Hopkins’ School of Medicine. He teaches Economics for Decision Making and adapts his courses to remote learning with interactive online experiments.