Megan Bea
Assistant Professor, Consumer Science
4222 Nancy Nicholas Hall
1300 Linden Dr
Madison, WI 53706
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Biography
I am an Assistant Professor of Consumer Science in the School of Human Ecology. I have a PhD in Sociology, with expertise in working with original and secondary data. I use longitudinal econometric and spatial methods to study a range of topics related to household finance and family well-being. In one key research area, I take a life-course perspective to study family economic and financial dynamics over time and connections to social inequality. In another primary research area, I examine the socio-spatial causes and consequences of unequal access to financial services at both the community and household levels, with attention to implications for family wellbeing. As part of my work, I routinely collaborate with scholars across multiple disciplines, including Law, Social Work, and Public Health.
CDHA Research Area Affiliations:
Biodemography; Determinants of Disparities of Aging Trajectories
Selected Publications:
Bea, Megan Doherty. “A life course perspective of community (non) investment: Historical financial service trajectories and community outcomes.” Journal of Family and Economic Issues 45, no. 2 (2024): 288-307.
Goldman, Alyssa W., and Megan Doherty Bea. “Banking on the Neighborhood? Inequalities in Older Adults’ Access to Local Banking and Neighborhood Perceptions.” The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 79, no. 4 (2024): gbad194.
Bea, Megan Doherty, Mariana Amorim, and Terri Friedline. “Public Cash Assistance and Spatial Predation: How State Cash-Transfer Environments Shape Payday Lender Geography.” Social Service Review 97, no. 3 (2023): 000-000.