Bio
Baier’s research interests include the causes and consequences of globalization, the economic impact of free trade agreements and the importance of human capital and economic institutions in promoting economic growth. His research on trade has contributed to the public’s understanding of the factors that have led to the growth in world trade, and his work on free trade agreements has provided insights into understanding the impacts of trade agreements.
Baier’s approach to modeling trade agreements has contributed to the theoretical and empirical foundation of the gravity equation of international trade, considered the workhorse model of international trade used by academic researchers, government agencies and central banks. His work on economic integration agreements explores the factors that make it more likely countries will have closer economic ties. His project, “The Causes and Consequences of Regionalization” was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Two of Baier’s articles have been recognized with “best paper” awards. His paper “How Important are Capital and Total Factor Productivity for Economic Growth?” (Joint with fellow Clemson Economics Robert Tamura, and Jerry Dwyer of the Atlanta Fed) won the 2007 Best Article Award in Economic Inquiry. His paper on “The Growth of World Trade” (with Jeff Bergstrand) won the Bhagwati Award for the best paper in the Journal of International Economics in the years 2001 and 2002. His research impact places him at the top five percent of all academic economists.
In addition to his academic work, Baier served as an economic adviser to President George W. Bush in 2007-2008. As a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, he provided economic analyses of current events pending legislation and assisted with the production of the Economic Report of the President. While on the council, Baier worked on international issues, including U.S.-China trade relations and the rise in commodity prices. Baier has also worked as a trade consultant for the European Union and Switzerland. He has also worked as a consultant to the Congressional Budget Office and the United States International Trade Commission (USITC). He even spends a brief period as a consultant for the Cleveland Guardians. Throughout the year, Baier provides economic updates locally and nationally in person and via Zoom.
Before joining the faculty at Clemson, Baier was an assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame from 1996 to 2000. He became an assistant professor at Clemson from 2001 to 2006 until he was appointed to the President’s Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush. He left Clemson to work in that role in the White House from 2007 to 2008. Baier’s input in that role impacted day-to-day national policy, with some of his contributions even ending up in the President’s State of the Union address.
The thing he’s proudest of in his career thus far, he says, is that a good amount of his research and ideas are embedded in many models the U.S. government uses to forecast what effects policy changes will have on international trade.
“Every year, the White House releases the economic report. If you look in the chapter on international trade, my co-author and I are usually in there,” says Baier. “Having a real-world impact on actual trade policy, I would say, is a high mark of my career.”
Baier says he loves teaching the next generation of economic scholars.
“When I started college, I didn’t go for the school part, but something caught my eye with economics that made me interested and say, ‘Hey, it’s kind of fun to learn!’ I like to be able to catch that in other students,” he says. “You always get the high achievers that will do well no matter what, and they’re great, but when you get a student that’s not excited about economics or education, and you get that ‘Ah-ha!’ moment with them, that’s a real treat. That’s the most rewarding part of my job.”
Baier says Clemson’s Department of Economics stands out nationally because it keeps students focused on real-world issues.
“Clemson remains rooted in practical applied economics, unlike some very theoretical departments, and you wonder if they have any real application in the world,” says Baier. “Our analysis has economic theory behind it, but we also look hard at how the numbers fit in. We’ve done a good job here in terms of advising policy, and my fellow professors are outstanding. Walk down the halls here, and you’ll see people who worked for the FCC, the World Bank, myself — there is a treasure trove of real-world experience here, and that’s good for the students.”
Baier’s life-long fascination with statistics started with a childhood obsession for numbers and probabilities related to his favorite professional sports teams. Growing up in the 1980s, he became immersed in tabletop games of strategy, including popular tabletop sports simulation games. These games introduced him to the strategy and data analytics and sparked a passion for numbers, ultimately leading him to the pinnacles of scholarship in economics and finance.
“Working with numbers has always appealed to me,” he says.
