College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Publications on Google Scholar

Dr. Caputo is an Associate Professor at the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, appointed in the tenure system. Prior to this appointment, she was Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Korea University, Seoul, South Korea (2013-2016), a Research Associate in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Arkansas, USA (2012-2013), and a Post-doctoral Researcher in the Department of Agricultural Sciences (DIPSA) at the University of Bologna Alma Mater Studiorum, Italy (2010-2012).

Dr. Caputo’s research focuses on modeling consumer food choice behavior and demand for novel food products and new food technologies integrating various disciplines such as economics, marketing, neuroeconomics, behavioral economics, and sensory science. Her work is comprised of two major components: (1) empirical analysis of consumer decision-making behavior; (2) methodological innovations to improve the validity and reliability of experimental methods in general and discrete choice experiments in particular. The audiences of Dr. Caputo empirical work are policy-makers, producers, and food companies, while her methodological research informs fellow academics on how to best design economic experiments and model food choice behavior.

She has presented her research works in more than 50 international conferences and published peer reviewed articles in numerous in professional journals including American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, European Review of Agricultural Economics, Economic Inquiry, Journal of Choice Modeling, Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Economics, Food Policy, among others. She is currently working on an USDA-NIFA -AFRI (market and economy) grant researching consumer choice behavior and demand for alternative genetically engineered foods (gene-edited, transgenic GMO, and cisgenic GMO) using a neuro-economics approach; as well as on a Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Foundation grant investigating consumers purchase behavior toward plant-based and animal-based gene-edited foods.

Research and Outreach Interests

• Consumer Decision-Making Behavior
• Choice Modeling
• Experimental Economics
• Survey Design
• Food marketing

Teaching Experience

• FIM 335 Food Marketing Management (2016/Fall Semester)
• FIM 460 Retail information Systems. (2016/Fall Semester)
• 900B Applied Microeconomics II (2017/Fall Semester)

Selected Articles

Caputo, V., J. L. Lusk, and R. M. Nayga Jr. 2020. Am I Getting a Good Deal? Reference-Dependent Decision Making When the Reference Price Is Uncertain. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Forthcoming

Caputo, V., and J. L. Lusk. 2019. What Agricultural and Food Policies Do US Consumer Prefer? A Best-Worst Scaling Approach​. Agricultural Economics, Forthcoming

Caputo, V., J. L. Lusk, and R. M. Nayga Jr. 2018. Choice Experiments Are Not Conducted in a Vacuum: The Effects of External Price Information on Choice Behavior. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 145, 335-351

Caputo, V., E. J. Van Loo, R. M. Nayga Jr., R. Scarpa, and W. Verbeke. 2018. Comparing Serial, and Choice Task Stated and Inferred Attribute Non-Attendance Methods in Food Choice Experiments. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 69(1), 35–57.

Caputo, V., Scarpa, R., and Nayga R.M. Jr. 2017. Cue Versus Independent Food Attributes: The Effect of Adding Attributes in Choice Experiments. European Review of Agricultural Economics, 44 (2), 211-230. Top cited article in 2018 and 2019.

Caputo, V., R. M. Nayga Jr., and R. Scarpa. 2013. Food Miles vs. Carbon Emissions Information for Food Transport Footprint: Modeling Assumptions and WTP Estimates from Stated Food Choice. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 57(4), 465-482.

Bazzani, C., V. Caputo, R. M. Nayga Jr., and M. Canavari. 2017. Testing Commitment Cost Theory in Choice Experiment. Economic Inquiry, 55(1), 383-396