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ATLANTA — Georgia State University economist James C. Cox’s contributions to the field of experimental economics will be honored with two separate celebrations: a day-long conference held in association with the Economic Science Association’s (ESA) North American meeting in the fall, and a symposium published afterward in the Southern Economic Journal.
Cox is the Noah Langdale Jr. Chair in Economics at Georgia State University, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and founding director of the Experimental Economics Center in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. He has published more than 130 research papers in several areas of theoretical and applied economics, including a core body of work in experimental economics, and his research has been supported by numerous grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and other organizations.
“Professor Cox’s groundbreaking work in experimental economics has not only shaped the field but also elevated the Andrew Young School’s reputation as a hub for innovative economic research,” said Dean Thomas J. Vicino. “His legacy is one of intellectual rigor, mentorship and a commitment to advancing economic science through evidence-based methods.”
Cox has received a number of honors and awards, the most recent in 2024 when he was named an Inaugural Fellow of the Economic Science Association in recognition of his lifetime of contributions that have advanced knowledge through economic lab and field experiments.
“With an academic career spanning over 50 years, Jim has made numerous influential contributions to the field of experimental economics from auctions to risk aversion to trust and reciprocity to optimal search,” the ESA states in its announcement of the celebrations. “Throughout his career, Jim’s research has emphasized the importance of the interplay between theory and experiments, helping to shape the methodological approach of our profession.”
The day-long conference, “Theory-Testing Experiments in Honor of James C. Cox,” will be held Oct. 9 in Tucson, Ariz. The keynote lecture will be presented by Daniel Friedman, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and founding director of the LEEPS lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Other speakers will include James Alm, Timothy Cason, Catherine Eckel, Glenn Harrison, R. Mark Isaac, John List, Ronald Oaxaca, Laura Razzolini, Elisabet Rutström, Arthur Schram and James Walker. Harrison and Rutström are faculty in the Center for the Economic Analysis of Risk (CEAR) at Georgia State University, which is supporting the event.
The Southern Economic Journal will publish “A Symposium on Combining Economic Theory and Experiments in Honor of James C. Cox” in fall 2026. Guest editors for the symposium are Cary Deck, Glenn Harrison, Vjollca Sadiraj and J. Todd Swarthout of Georgia State University, along with Maroš Servátka of the Macquarie Business School in Australia.
“During his illustrious career, Jim served as president of both the Economic Science Association and the Southern Economic Association,” the ESA states. “Thus, it is fitting that these celebrations of his career are connected to both organizations.”
Cox, who joined Georgia State University in 2006, plans to retire from his position in July. He will continue to contribute to the field with ongoing research in experimental economics.