Financial Literacy and Behavioral Finance: Mechanisms, Contexts, and Emerging Technologies

Dear Colleagues,

Individual financial decision-making plays a critical role in advancing economic security, financial resilience, and social inclusion in an increasingly complex global economy. While the research on financial literacy and financial education has grown substantially over the past two decades, there is a gap in understanding the integrated effects of cultural influences, behavioral biases, emotions, risk tolerance, financial risk assessment, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping financial behavior and outcomes. To this end, this Special Issue invites original theoretical, empirical, and methodological submissions from finance, economics, psychology, consumer behavior, education, public policy, sociology, data science, and related fields that identify underlying mechanisms, establish causal relationships, evaluate interventions, and generate meaningful policy implications in the broad area of financial literacy and behavioral finance. Studies employing longitudinal, experimental, quasi-experimental, mixed-methods, and advanced analytical approaches, including AI-based techniques, are especially welcome.

Suggested Topics

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Financial literacy, financial capability, and financial well-being.
• The interactive effects of behavioral biases, emotions, and risk attitudes on saving, borrowing, investing, and retirement planning.
• Digital finance, financial technology (fintech), and artificial intelligence tools for financial assessment, prediction, intervention, and dynamic behavioral analysis.
• Financial literacy and financial inclusion in emerging and developing economies.
• The roles of identity, social status, family financial socialization, gender, and culture in shaping financial decision-making.
• Financial education programs integrated with behavioral interventions and their effectiveness.
• Financial resilience, responses to financial shocks, economic vulnerability, and inequality.
• Financial literacy and well-being across the life course, including studies of children, adolescents, college students, young adults, older adults, and other vulnerable populations.
• Consumer protection, responsible lending practices, financial regulation, and the behavioral design of financial products and services.
• Ethical implications of AI-driven financial advice, algorithmic decision-making, and digital financial platforms.

Prof. Dr. Abol Jalilvand
Prof. Dr. Lee A. Smales
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Risk and Financial Management is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• financial literacy
• behavioral and cultural biases
• experimental and longitudinal methods
• financial technology
• ethical implications
• regulation
• emerging and developing economies