College of Agriculture and Bioresources

Research Area(s)

  • Economics of food safety
  • Quality and traceability
  • Supply chain relationships in the agri-food sector
  • Consumer behaviour

Brief Biography

Dr. Jill E. Hobbs is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research interests encompass food policy, supply chain economics and consumer behaviour in agri-food markets. She is a Fellow of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society.

Department

Agricultural and Resource Economics

Other Affiliations/positions

Associate Faculty Member, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan. 
Honorary Chair, Aberystwyth Business School, Aberystwyth University, UK (2014-19)
Fellow of Food Policy, Institute for the Advanced Study of Food and Agricultural Policy, University of Guelph

Research Interests

My research interests include food policy, supply chain economics and consumer behaviour in agri-food markets. This has led to research examining a variety of issues including the economics of food safety, quality assurance and traceability, public and private standards and international trade, the policy environment for functional foods in Canada and internationally, transaction costs and institutional adaptation in agri-food supply chains, and consumer responses to new agricultural and food technologies.

Areas of Specialization

  • Supply chain relationships in the agri-food sector
  • Consumer behaviour
  • Food policy
  • Economics of food safety, quality and traceability

Education

  • Ph.D. (Agricultural Economics), University of Aberdeen, UK
  • M.A. (Economics), University of Calgary
  • B.Sc. (Economics), Aberystwyth University, UK

Selected Publications

Ugochukwu, A., J.E. Hobbs, P.W.B. Phillips and W.A. Kerr. 2018. Technological solutions to authenticity issues in international trade: The case of CITES listed endangered species. Ecological Economics 146 (April): 730-739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.12.021

V. Karamanos, J.E. Hobbs and P. Slade. 2018. Consumer responses to private nutrition signals. Journal of Food Products Marketing, https://doi.org/10.1080/10454446.2018.1498044

Ochieng’, B. and J.E. Hobbs. 2016. Incentives for Cattle Producers to Adopt an E. coli Vaccine: An Application of Best-Worst Scaling. Food Policy 59: 78-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2015.12.004

Lassoued, R. and J.E. Hobbs. 2015. Consumer Confidence in Credence Attributes: The Role of Brand Trust. Food Policy 52 (April): 99-107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2014.12.003

Hobbs, J.E., S. Malla, E.K. Sogah and M.T. Yeung. 2014. Regulating Health Foods: Policy Challenges and Consumer Conundrums. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., 266pp

Courses

  • ARE 840.3 Economics of Agri-Food Marketing
  • ARE 440.3 Agricultural Marketing Systems
  • ARE 990 Graduate Seminar Series