Publications

  • The Power of Community Action: Anti-Payday Loan Ordinances in Three Metropolitan Areas. (Technical Report for the Silicon Valley Community Foundation), 151 pages. Published, 01/24/2017.
    http://fcs.utah.edu/_documents/MayerMartinPaydayOr...
  • Zick, CD, KR Smith, and RN Mayer. "Planning Ahead or Living a Day at a Time? A Family History of AD and Retirement Planning." American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias.. Accepted, 01/15/2016.
  • Stephen Brobeck and Robert N. Mayer, Watchdogs and Whistleblowers: A Reference Guide to Consumer Activism. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press. The book contains more than 140 essays on topics related to consumer activism. I co-edited the entire volume and wrote fifteen entries (e.g., internet activism, anti-tobacco activism, and initiatives and referenda), plus an overview chapter of all of the entries referring to consumer activism outside the United States. Published, 07/01/2015.
    http://www.abc-clio.com/ABC-CLIOGreenwood/product....
  • Zick, CD, RN Mayer, and KR Smith. "Family health histories and their impact on retirement confidence." Journal of Aging and Health. Published online January 30. DOI: 10.1177/0898264314565330. Published, 01/30/2015.
  • Zick, CD, RN Mayer, and KR Smith. (2015) Putting it off: Family breast cancer history and women’s retirement planning. Psycho-Oncology. Published online January 29. DOI: 10.1002/pon.3759. Published, 01/29/2015.
  • Kirsch, L., R. N., Mayer, and N.I. Silber, “The CFPB and Payday Lending: New Agency/Old Problem, Journal of Consumer Affairs, 48 (Spring 2014), 1 -16. DOI: 10.1111/joca.12036. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joca.2014.48.issue-1/issuetoc. Published, 04/01/2014.
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joca.20...
  • Zick, C.D., K.R. Smith, R.N. Mayer, and L.B. Taylor, Family, Frailty, and Fatal Futures? Own-Health and Family-Health Predictors of Subjective Life Expectancy,” Research on Aging, 36 (2), 2014, 244-66. Published, 03/01/2014.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.11770164027513482948
  • Zick, C.D. and R.N.Mayer, “Evaluating the Impact of Financial Planners,” in Olivia Mitchell and Kent Smetters, editors, The Market for Retirement Financial Advice. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2013, pp. 153-79. Published, 11/01/2013.
    http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199683772.d...
  • Kirsch, Larry and Robert N. Mayer, Financial Justice: The People's Campaign to Stop Lender Abuse. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2013. Published, 05/09/2013.
    http://www.abc-clio.com/search/SearchResults.aspx?...
  • Mayer, R.N., “Consumer Movement,” The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Social History. Editor, Lynn Dumenil. Oxford University Press, 2012. Published, 12/01/2012.
    http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref...
  • Mayer, Robert N.,"The U.S. Consumer Movement: A New Era Amid Old Challenges," Journal of Consumer Affairs 46 (2): 171-189. Published, 07/02/2012.
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-...
  • Zick, C.D., R.N., Mayer, and K. Glaubitz, The Kids Are All Right: Generational Differences in Responses to the Great Recession,” Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2012. Published, 04/01/2012.
    http://www.afcpe.org/assets/pdf/v23_j1.pdf
  • Marsden, M., Zick, C.D. and R.N. Mayer, “The Value of Seeking Financial Advice,” Journal of Family Economic Issues, Vol. 32, No. 4, 2011, pp. 625-43. Published, 11/01/2011.
    http://www.springerlink.com/content/h7718167103128...
  • Mayer, R.N., Zick, C.D., and M. Glaittli, “Awareness of Retirement Planning Rules of Thumb,” Journal of Personal Finance, Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011, pp. 12-35. Published, 10/2011.
    http://www.iarfc.org/documents/issues/Vol%2010Iss...
  • Mayer, R.N., Zick, C.D., and M. Marsden, “Does Calculating Retirement Savings Needs Improve Retirement Preparedness?” Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 45, No. 2 (Summer), 2011, pp. 175-200. Published, 07/2011.
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-...
  • Mayer, R.N., “Consumer Movement,” Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History, Volume 6 (1946-1975). CQ Press/Sage, 2010. Published, 04/01/2010.
  • R.N. Mayer and Jessie X. Fan, “Great Basin and Range: Economic Well-Being of Utah Consumers,” in Utah at the Beginning of the New Millenium: A Demographic Perspective, Cathleen D. Zick and Ken R. Smith (eds.), University of Utah Press, 2006, pp. 80-88. Published, 2006.
  • Zick, C.D., Smith, K.R., Mayer, R.N. and J. Botkin, “Genetic Testing, Adverse Selection, and the Demand for Life Insurance,” American Journal of Medical Genetics, 93 (2000), pp. 29-39. Published, 06/2000.
  • Encyclopedia of the Consumer Movement. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Published, 03/01/1997.
  • Mayer, Robert N., Debra L. Scammon, and Cathleen D. Zick, "Poisoning the Well: Do Environmental Claims Strain Consumer Credulity?" Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 20, No. 1, 1993. Published, 02/02/1993.
  • Scammon, Debra L. and Robert N. Mayer, "Environmental Labeling and Advertising Claims: International Action and Policy Issues," European Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1993, pp. 338-44. Published, 02/02/1993.
  • Scammon, Debra L, Robert N. Mayer, and Ken R. Smith, "Alcohol Warnings: How Do You Know When You Have Had One Too Many? Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1991, pp. 214-28. Published, 10/01/1991.
  • Mayer, Robert N., The Consumer Movement: Guardians of the Marketplace. Boston: Twayne/G.K. Hall. Published, 06/01/1989.
  • Mayer, Robert N. and Russell W Belk, "Acquisition of Consumption Stereotypes by Children," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 16, Issue 2, pp 302-321, Winter, 1982. Published, 03/01/1982.
  • Nicosia, F.M. and R.N. Mayer, "Toward a Sociology of Consumption," Journal of Consumer Research, 3 (September, 1976), 435‑447. Published, 09/1976.
  • Mayer, Robert N., "The Socially Conscious Consumer: Another Look at the Data," Journal of Consumer Research, Vol.9, No. 1, 1976, pp. 113-5. Published, 02/02/1976.

Research Statement

Two enduring questions guide my research: (1) how do consumer movements in varying economic, social, political, and cultural context overcome the "free rider problem" to become important social actors, and (2) how can the effectiveness of consumer policy interventions be evaluated?

Presentations

  • Mayer, R.N., “Local Ordinances Designed to Control Payday Lending.” Robert M. LaFollette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin. Invited Talk/Keynote, Accepted, 02/21/2017.
  • Mayer, R.N., “International Consumer Policy: Lessons in Hope and Humility,” World Congress of the International Federation for Home Economics, Daejon, South Korea. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 08/03/2016.
  • Zick, CD, Mayer, RN, and Smith, KR. 2014. "Putting it Off: Family Breast Cancer History and Women's Retirement Planning." Poster presented at the 2014 Population Association of America's Meetings, Boston, MA. Poster, Accepted, 05/2014.
  • Zick, CD, Mayer, RN, and Smith, KR. 2014. "Putting it Off: Family Breast Cancer History and Women's Retirement Planning." Paper presented at the 2014 American Council on Consumer Interests Meetings, Milwaukee, WI. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 04/2014.
  • Mayer, R.N., “International Consumer Policy: Leaders and Laggards,” Alfred and Shirley Wampler Caudill Lecture in Consumer Affairs, Virginia Tech University. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 03/21/2014.
  • Mayer, RN, Zick, CD, Smith, KR, and Taylor, LB. 2013. "Morbidity, Mortality, and Money: The Link between Health Events and Retirement Preparation." Paper presented at the 2013 American Council on Consumer Interests Meetings, Portland, OR, April. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 04/2013.
  • Zick, CD, Mayer, RN, Smith, KR, and Taylor, LB. 2013. "Family Health Histories and their Relationship to Retirement Confidence and Retirement Wealth" Poster presented at the 2013 Population Association of America's Meetings, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Presented, 04/2013.
  • L.B. Taylor, C.D. Zick, R.N. Mayer, and K.R. Smith, “In Sickness and in Health: Couples’ Health and Retirement Preparations,” Paper presented at the 2013 annual conference of the American Council on Consumer Interests, Portland, Oregon, April 11, 2013. Conference Paper, Refereed, Accepted, 12/31/2012.
  • Mayer, R.N., C.D. Zick, K.R. Smith, and L.B. Taylor, “Morbibity, Mortality, and Money: The Link Between Health Events and Retirement Preparation,” Paper presented at the 2013 annual conference of the American Council on Consumer Interests, Portland, Oregon, April 11, 2013. Conference Paper, Refereed, Accepted, 12/31/2012.
  • “Evaluating the Impact of Financial Advisors,” invited paper for thePension Research Council conference at the University of Pennsylvania, May 2012 (co-author: Cathleen Zick). Conference Paper, Accepted, 03/15/2012.
  • Mayer, R.N., Discussant of Three Papers Presented at International Symposium on Behavioral Economics, Consumer Policy, and Consumer Law, Florence, Italy. Presentation, Presented, 06/25/2010.

Grants, Contracts & Research Gifts

  • Retirement Planning Responses to Economic Shocks I. PI: Zick, Cathleen D. Co-PI(s): Mayer, Robert N. . Institute for Public and International Affairs, 09/01/2009 - 06/30/2010. Total project budget to date: $6,051.00
  • Retirement Planning Responses to Economic Shocks II. PI: Cathleen D. Zick. Co-PI(s): Robert N. Mayer. U of U Center on Aging, 08/01/2009 - 07/31/2010. Total project budget to date: $25,000.00

Languages

  • French, fluent.

Geographical Regions of Interest

  • Northern America
  • Europe