Megan Doherty BeaLorna Jorgenson Wendt Professor | Associate Professor of Consumer Scienceshe/her/hers

I am an associate professor of Consumer Science studying consumer finance and financial well-being. My research is motivated by a desire to understand the causes and consequences of socioeconomic and financial inequality, particularly in the American context. For this work, I bring a sociological perspective informed by law, economics, and geography to examine a range of topics. Recent research topics include financial security among young adults and consumer access to financial services in communities.

Selected Publications

Bea, M. D., Bley, K., Faber, J. W., & Haile, S. (2025). Who pays for flooding? Local flood disasters and racial inequality in the mortgage market. Human Ecology, 52, 1341-1360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-025-00566-0

Bea, M. D. (2024). A life course perspective of community (non)investment: Historical financial service trajectories and community outcomes. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 45, 288-307. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-023-09924-w

Bea, M. D. (2023). Relational foundations of an unequal consumer credit market: Symbiotic ties between banks and payday lenders. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 57(1), 320-345. https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12501

Bea, M. D., & Taylor-Poppe, E. S. (2021). Marginalized legal categories: Social inequality, family structure, and the laws of intestacy. Law and Society Review, 55(2), 252-272. https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12553

For a full list of publications, see Bea’s CV.