Matthew Pearson

I’m an economist by training. My education background is in labor economics, education, and behavioral economics. My research examines such things as the relationship between hormones and economic behavior, social interaction (peer effects), and consumer spending.

Since finishing my PhD in 2009, I have worked in economic consulting. In April 2012, I assumed my current role as the first Research & Evaluation Specialist at Living Water International.

I like to answer interesting questions, to figure out how things work, and to make things work better. This drive motivates my professional activities as well as what I do in my spare time, which includes bicycle frame building, home coffee roasting, and otherwise making stuff.

Specialties: Monitoring & Evaluation, Research Design, Data Collection & Analysis, Program Evaluation.

Economics: Labor, Behavioral, Education, and Experimental Economics

• Spring Semester in the Rockies, Outdoor Education

  National Outdoor Leadership School

  • Wilderness First Aid
  • Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics

• Ph.D., Economics

  University of California, Davis

  • Psychology & Economics I (theory) (UC Berkeley exchange)
  • Psychology & Economics II (applied) (UC Berkeley exchange)
  • Applied Econometrics for Public & Labor Economics
  • Labor Economics I & II
  • Microeconomic Theory I, II, & III
  • Econometric Theory I, II, & III
  • Macroeconomic Theory I & II
  • Industrial Organization I & II
  • Economic History

• M.A., Theological Studies

  Covenant Theological Seminary

  • Social Ethics (+ independent study)
  • Church-based Community Ministry

1. Data Analysis
2. Econometrics
3. Stata
4. GIS
5. Labor Economics
6. Experimental Economics
7. Microeconomics
8. Program Evaluation
9. LaTeX
10. Research
11. Economics
12. Statistics
13. International Development
14. Policy Analysis
15. Analysis
16. Quantitative Analytics
17. Public Policy
18. Program Development

• The Visible Hand: Finger Ratio and Competitive Behavior

  • Experimental Economics
  • September 2012
  Authors: Matthew Pearson, Burkhard Schipper

  In an experiment using two-bidder first-price sealed bid auctions with symmetric independent private values, we scan also the right hand of each subject. We study how the ratio of the length of the index and ring fingers (2D:4D) of the right hand, a measure of prenatal hormone exposure, is correlated with bidding behavior and total profits. 2D:4D has been reported to predict competitiveness in sports competition (Manning and Taylor, 2001, and Hoenekopp, Manning and Mueller, 2006), risk aversion in an investment task (Dreber and Hoffman, 2007, Garbarino et al., 2010), and the average profitability of high-frequency traders in financial markets (Coates, Gurnell and Rustichini, 2009). We do not find any significant correlation between 2D:4D on either bidding or profits. However, our study raises an issue of ethnic differences with respect to 2D:4D.

• Menstrual Cycle and Competitive Bidding

  • Games and Economic Behavior
  • March 1, 2012
  Authors: Matthew Pearson, Burkhard Schipper

  In an experiment using two-bidder first-price sealed bid auctions with symmetric independent private values, we collected information on the female participants' menstrual cycles. We find that women bid significantly higher than men in their menstrual and premenstrual phase but do not bid significantly different in other phases of the menstrual cycle. We suggest an evolutionary hypothesis according to which women are genetically predisposed by hormones to generally behave more riskily during their fertile phase of their menstrual cycle in order to increase the probability of conception, quality of offspring, and genetic variety. Our finding is in contrast to results by Chen, Katuscak and Ozdenoren (2005, 2009).

• "December 21," in Little Moments Big Magic: Inspirational Stories Of Big Brothers And Big Sisters And The Magic They Create

  • Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America
  • June 2004
  Authors: Matthew Pearson

  A story of my experience in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, included in a compilation published to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the organization.