Sinne Smed

Sinne Smed is an Associate Professor in Consumer Behaviour at the Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, specializing in behavioral economics and consumer behavior research with a focus on food systems. Her work examines how information provision and taxation can regulate consumer behavior, particularly regarding organic food demand and labeling.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Economics from the University of Copenhagen (2008) and an M.Sc. in Agricultural Science from The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark (2001).

Smed's research centers on applied micro-econometric modeling of consumer behavior related to dietary health, climate, and environmental concerns. She has developed methods to integrate attitudes and behavioral factors into traditional demand models while addressing challenges like self-selection and endogeneity. Her work falls into four main areas: innovative panel data methods, consumer information processing heterogeneity, optimal regulation design, and quantifying health/environmental impacts of food choices.

Her recent publications reveal a strong trend toward interdisciplinary research connecting health economics, environmental sustainability, and behavioral science. Key themes include dietary responses to health shocks, retirement effects on food choices, sin tax impacts, sustainable diet measurement across regions, and organic food consumption patterns with reduced environmental impact.

• Member of the Program Committee for the 2021 EAAE Congress
• Member of the Dyrnes commission assessing Norwegian sugar-sweetened beverage taxes
• World Bank consultant on Fiscal Policies on Diet in East Asia and Pacific
• WHO expert panel member on Fiscal Policies on Diet
• Advisory board member for EU food policy implementation
• Advisor for evaluation of Mexican soft drink and junk food tax

Smed supervises extensive academic work (27 master's theses as main supervisor, 3 PhD students including 2 ongoing) and serves as referee for leading journals including American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Public Health Nutrition, and the Lancet. She leads multiple research projects including RECONCILE (consumer willingness to pay for recycled nutrients), dietary health-climate impact associations, and border trade effects on public health revenue. Her teaching includes Applied Economics of Consumption and Econometrics at BA and MSc levels.