CALL FOR PAPERS

 

Consumer Behavior and Payment Choice

 

Research conference sponsored by the Emerging Payments Research Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

 

July 26-27, 2006

 

 

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston invites submissions for its second annual conference on consumer payment behavior.  Agenda and papers from the 2005 conference can be viewed at:

 

http://www.bos.frb.org/news/conf/payments2005/index.htm.

 

Building on this inaugural effort, the Bank continues to solicit new and innovative research on all aspects of the consumer side of the U.S. payments system, especially investigations of the reasons why consumers choose one payment method over another.   Researchers and practitioners from all sectors—academia, private industry, and the public sector—and all related disciplines – economics, business, banking and finance, marketing, psychology, sociology, and others – who are studying consumer payment behavior are encouraged to submit their research and analysis for consideration.

 

Following is a representative, but not exclusive, list of the kinds of potential paper topics we seek:

 

·        Why do consumers use the payments instruments they use?

·        What can behavioral economics tell us about consumer payment choices?

·        Does payment choice affect consumption, savings, and debt?  Do consumers use payments to smooth their consumption (pay now vs. later)?

·        Design, development, and collection of data on consumer payment behavior.

·        Consumer demand for payment technologies, including cash, checks, credit cards, debit cards, stored value cards, Internet banking, and ACH transactions.

·        Pricing of payment technologies and the elasticity of consumer demand for payment technologies.

·        Consumer perceptions and misperceptions about cost, safety, and convenience of payment instruments.

·        How does merchant acceptance affect consumer payment choice?

·        The relationship between the use of payment technologies and the pricing of goods and services.

·        The impact of payment technologies on shopping time and consumer or household behavior.

·        The relationship between consumer demand for payment technologies and consumer portfolio management.

 

This two-day conference follows a unique format. Presentations will be mainly academic and private sector research, but participants from multiple sectors and/or multiple disciplines will analyze and discuss all presentations to gain the broadest possible understanding of consumer payment behavior. Also included will be panel discussions on important consumer payment issues such as data developments and analysis, emerging payment technologies, public policies, and many other topics. A goal of the conference is to bring together researchers, practitioners, and public policymakers to interact, communicate, learn from one another, and develop cooperative joint ventures.

 

All papers selected and presented at the conference will be eligible to be published as Working Papers or Public Policy Discussion Papers by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (see http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/ppdp/index.htm).  These papers may also be submitted subsequently for publication to other outlets without any restrictions by the Bank.

 

Please submit abstracts or completed papers (preferred) by March 15, 2006, to Joanna Stavins (617-973-4217) or Scott Schuh (617-973-3941), at one of the following e-mail addresses:

 

Joanna.Stavins@bos.frb.org or Scott.Schuh@bos.frb.org or via mail at:

 

Research Department

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

600 Atlantic Avenue

Boston, MA 02210