Biography
Financial markets influence economic prosperity as well as societal and individual well-being. My research examines how information, sustainability concerns, health, and other real-world events shape financial markets and investment decisions. I also study individual investor behaviour using surveys and large-scale register-based datasets, with a particular focus on financial decision-making, risk-taking, and market participation.
Research interests
My research focuses on international finance, sustainable finance, investor behaviour, and financial literacy. I study how information, sustainability-related developments, and global economic shocks influence asset prices, investment decisions, and financial market dynamics. In addition, I conduct empirical, policy-relevant research using large-scale administrative and financial datasets, survey data, and international market data. My research combines perspectives from economics, finance, psychology, and sustainability.
My current research also explores sustainable and responsible investing, the role of ESG-related information in financial markets, media and news sentiment as drivers of investor behaviour, and household financial decision-making. In recent years, I have increasingly focused on the links between individual well-being and financial decision-making. Through the Health, Risk Aversion, and Financial Market Behavior (HERA) project, I examine how major life events and health shocks influence risk-taking, investment behaviour, and participation in financial markets. This work connects insights from health economics and behavioural finance and contributes to a broader understanding of the factors shaping financial decisions throughout the life course.
I am an Associate Professor of Economics at the Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics and a member of the International Macroeconomics and Finance Research Group at JSBE. My research has been published in journals including Review of Finance, Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of Empirical Finance, and Journal of International Money and Finance. I welcome opportunities to collaborate with research institutes, public-sector organizations, and other partners on projects related to financial economics, household finance, sustainability, health, and well-being. Please feel free to contact me at heikki.lehkonen@jyu.fi.
My research examines the functioning and integration of international financial markets, as well as the factors influencing them. The findings contribute new insights for both the scientific community and decision-makers, including investors.
