The Behavioral Ecology and Economic Decisions Lab (BEEDL), directed by Dr. Bram Tucker, provides workspace and resources for students interested in economic decision-making and behavior in global contexts. We investigate human subsistence behavior at two scales: The cognitive scale of judgment and decision-making that occurs within human minds within their cultural contexts, with specific attention to perception of risk, time, and causality; and the household scale of livelihood strategies, focusing on food insecurity, vulnerability, and other correlates of poverty. We seek to integrate theories of human behavior from cultural, economic, ecological, cognitive, and evolutionary anthropology, using ethnographic, experimental, and observational methods. BEEDL scholars have conducted research in Madagascar, Haiti, Ghana, Malawi, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Uruguay, Sierra Leone, New Zealand, and the U.S. Lab resources include field equipment, workspace, and an online literature database with over 4,000 entries.
