Jerome Lyons (2022).

Abstract: I use professional football as a case study to evaluate whether agents optimize and if prospect theory can explain deviations from optimizing behaviour. I use the methodology developed by Romer (2006) to estimate the value of kicking and “going for it” on fourth down using 24 seasons of data (1999 to 2022). I then calculate points lost or gambled on fourth down based on these estimated values and NFL coaches actual decision. I Find that NFL coaches generally kick too foten, though they do optimize in a small section of the field. Also, coaches have improved their fourth down decision making the offensive half of the field since the introduction of advanced tracking and statistics. Finally, coaches appear to be generally risk averse, though risk preference varies at the end of the dead zone, where coaches likely believe that are transitioning from the domain of losses to gains

The Bank of Canada COVID‑19 stringency index: measuring policy response across provinces

Calista Cheung, Jerome Lyons, Bethany Madsen, Sarah Miller, Saarah Sheikh. (2021)

COVID‑19 containment policies have been crucial to public health, and they have also had a large impact on the economy. Tracking these measures systematically and accurately is important for understanding the impact of the pandemic on Canada’s economy. So, we constructed a measure of containment policies and public information campaigns adjusting the methodology constructed for the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker. The daily provincial data continues to be useful for Bank of Canada analysis and research, other public sector analysis, non-Bank researchers, and private organizations.

Jerome Lyons (2021). Supervised by Rob Gillezeau and Maggie E.C. Jones

Abstract: This research studies the effect of minimum wages on employment with Canadian data from 1996 to 2010. Using a prespecified research method described by Campolieti, Gunderson, and Riddell (2006), I find that increases in the minimum wage caused a moderate but statistically insignificant adverse effect on youth employment with an elasticity estimate of -0.12. Most of the adverse employment effect is driven by part-time teens (aged 15-19) while full-time youth (aged 15-24) experienced modest but statistically insignificant increases in employment.

Research Interests

My interests revolve around better understanding why individuals and organizations chose the decisions they make. As such, my interests typically revolve around microeconomics and various microeconomic specializations like labour economics, environmental economics, industrial organization, and economic history.

I am also interested in how that economic knowledge can be used to improve the human experience through well designed policy. As such, I’m interested in the theory and design of economic, fiscal, and monetary policy.

Lastly, like a musician who wants to find the best instrument, I have a budding ineterest in econometrics as I improve my research skills.