Rebecca is an experimental economist exploring how people make decisions, especially when there are consequences for their health, safety, or privacy. Her research makes links between economics and psychology, asking how the things people choose vary according to the risk involved, or when the outcomes of those choices are distant in time. She also studies how people seek out or avoid information when making decisions that affect themselves and others, and how their group identity informs the information they seek out, share, and learn from.
Her research on the societal value of reducing fatality risks has informed the UK government’s policy on the evaluation of safety policy, and she is currently involved in a local authority funded project establishing the economic impacts of the mental health consequences of flooding.