Personal profile
Biography
I am Professor of Fintech and Digital Economy and Associate Head (Research and Innovation) in the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance. I was awarded a PhD in 2012 following the submission of my thesis entitled ‘Studies in licit and illicit markets for digital entertainment goods’. I have held a number of research leadership roles, including a fully-funded term as Canada Research Chair in Canada. I have also generated more than £1.5 million in external funding and led on significant projects supported by the EPSRC, AHRC and Innovate:UK.
Research Interests
My research focus is the digital economy and how it affected key behaviours, decisions and interactions in a variety of economic contexts. I undertake applied empirical analysis incorporating elements of microeconomics, applied econometrics, industrial organisation and behavioural and experimental economics. I have particular interest and specialisation in the areas of crowdfunding, crowdsourcing and the creative and cultural sectors, including the video gaming, music and movie industries. My work has been published in a number of world-leading journals, including the Journal of Corporate Finance; European Journal of Operational Research; Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization; and The Journal of Cultural Economics. My work has also received coverage in major media outlets such as BBC Radio 4; The Wall Street Journal; and The Guardian newspaper.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Acting on good intentions? A quasi-longitudinal study of moral obligation and trust in prosocial lending
Shneor, R., Baah-Peprah, P., Cox, J. & Nguyen, T., 1 Feb 2026, In: Journal of Business Ethics. 203, p. 863–882Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure) -
Burning for a warm glow: The impact of acute exercise on mood and prosocial behaviour
Cox, J., Whitman, K. M., Williams, C. A., Williams, T. B., Mayes, H. S., Hudson, L., Warren, J. & Costello, J., 1 Jul 2026, In: Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 85, 12 p., 103129.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile5 Downloads (Pure) -
Debt attitudes and debt accumulation among rural poor households in a developing region: insights from Kerala, India
Asok, A. R. & Cox, J., 21 Jan 2026, (Early online) In: Oxford Development Studies. 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Lendwithcare Impact Assessment Fundación de Apoyo Comunitario y Social del Ecuador (FACES) - Final Report
Cox, J., Hu, X., Asok, A. R. & Khan, A. A., 11 May 2026, University of Portsmouth. 48 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure) -
Economic Impact Assessment of the UK Video Games Industry
Leonard, A., Choudhury, H. & Cox, J., 1 Sept 2025, TIGA. 112 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Open Access
Thesis
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Studies in licit and illicit markets for digital entertainment goods
Cox, J. (Author), Jaffry, S. (Supervisor) & Collins, A. (Supervisor), May 2012Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis
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Datasets
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Dataset for 'Calculating the relative importance of condition attributes based on the characteristics of decision rules and attribute reducts: application to crowdfunding'
Chakhar, S. (Creator), Ishizaka, A. (Creator), Thorpe, A. (Creator), Cox, J. (Creator), Nguyen, T. (Creator) & Ford, L. (Creator), University of Portsmouth, 2020
DOI: 10.17029/818c8061-9f7f-454d-8a9e-5d31d6a6426b
Dataset
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Video games dataset
Cox, J. (Creator), University of Portsmouth, 21 May 2015
DOI: 10.17029/d4fe28cd-1e44-4d2f-9db6-85b347bf761e
Dataset
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Debt attitude and debt accumulation among rural poor households in a developing region
Cox, J. (Creator) & Asok, A. (Creator), University of Portsmouth, 30 Apr 2024
DOI: 10.17029/9cbe0079-41c1-4ddd-9de0-94883a1d51b9
Dataset
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Factors influencing debt stress among rural poor households in Kerala, India
Cox, J. (Creator), University of Portsmouth, 22 Oct 2024
DOI: 10.17029/4c3c0cc0-1052-450c-9563-092b935d88fa, https://ideas.repec.org/p/pbs/ecofin/2024-05.html
Dataset
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File Sharing Data
Cox, J. (Creator), Helsinki Institute for Information Technology, 22 May 2015
DOI: 10.17029/2e924195-3dec-4a98-b6f7-743882447fc9
Dataset
File
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Valuing digital culture and heritage
McBride, K. (PI), Bailey-Ross, C. (CoI), Cox, J. (CoI) & Alberti, F. (CoI)
Arts & Humanities Research Council
4/09/23 → 4/09/26
Project: Research
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Tone Deaf: Gendered Barriers to Women’s Music Performance Careers
Whitman, K. (PI), Cox, J. (Team Member) & Parsley, S. (Team Member)
26/07/24 → 18/08/25
Project: Research
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The Rising Tide of Piracy: The Influence of Social Roles, Risks and Norms on Illegal Consumption
Whitman, K. (PI) & Cox, J. (Team Member)
1/05/24 → 1/09/25
Project: Research
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The wonders of the Zooinverse
Cox, J. (PI) & Masters, K. (CoI)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
1/09/13 → 31/08/16
Project: Research
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Royal Economic Society PhD Conference
Cox, J. (Keynote/plenary speaker) & Cox, J. (Organiser)
4 Dec 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
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3rd International Conference for Alternative Finance Research
Cox, J. (Presented paper)
5 Jun 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
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Mallen Conference in Filmed Entertainment
Cox, J. (Presented paper)
Sept 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
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Opening the Lab
Murad, Z. (Presented paper), Luhan, W. (Organiser), Cox, J. (Speaker) & Whitman, K. (Speaker)
11 Jul 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
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17th Association of Cultural Economics International Annual Conference
Cox, J. (Presented paper)
Jun 2014Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
Prizes
Press/Media
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Tips for Raising Money With Personal Crowdfunding Campaigns
14/05/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment
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Image-conscious people contribute to greater number of crowdfunding campaigns but give less money, study finds
10/03/18
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment
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Citizen Science Volunteers Driven by Desire to Learn
1/08/17
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research cited