About
Thomas H. Klier is a senior economist and economic advisor in the economic research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Klier’s research focuses on the effects of changes in manufacturing technology, the spatial distribution of economic activity, and regional economic development. Since joining the Chicago Fed in 1992, Klier has written widely on the evolving geography of the auto industry. His current research includes the changing structure of the auto industry in response to the increasing electrification of transportation.
Klier’s research has been published in scholarly journals, including the Journal of Regional Studies, Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, The Industrial Geographer, Economic Development Quarterly, Review of Regional Studies, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Public Choice, and American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. Klier is co-author of a book on the auto supplier industry (joint with Jim Rubenstein, Miami University), published by the Upjohn Institute in 2008.
Klier received an MBA from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, an MA from Wayne State University, and a PhD in economics from Michigan State University.
Bank Publications
CDPS Blog
Chicago Fed Insights
Chicago Fed Letter
Economic Perspectives
Michigan Economy Blog
Midwest Economy Blog
Working papers
Working Papers
Selected External Publications
Klier has had articles published in a number of books and academic journals. His most recent publications (available for a fee at the publishers' web sites) include:
With Joshua Linn, 2013, "Fuel prices and new vehicle fuel economy – Comparing the United States and Western Europe," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Vol. 66, No. 2, pp. 280-300.
With Jim Rubenstein, 2012, "Configuration of the North American and European auto industries – A comparison of trends," European Review of Industrial Economics and Policy, No. 3.
With Joshua Linn, 2012, "New vehicle characteristics and the cost of the corporate average fuel economy standard," Rand Journal of Economics, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 186-213.
With Joshua Linn, 2011, "Corporate average fuel economy standards and the market for new vehicles," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Vol. 3, pp. 445-462.
With Jim Rubenstein, 2011, "Configuration of the North American and European auto industries – A comparison of trends," European Review of Industrial Economics and Policy, No. 3, pp. 1-16.
With Jim Rubenstein, 2011, "What role did regional policy play in addressing the U.S. auto industry crisis?," International Journal of Automotive Technology, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 189-204.
With Jim Rubenstein, 2010, "The changing geography of North American vehicle production," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 335-347.
With Joshua Linn, 2010, "The price of gasoline and new vehicle fuel economy: Evidence from monthly sales data," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Vol. 2, August, pp. 134-153.
With Daniel P. McMillen, 2008, Clustering of Auto Supplier Plants in the United States: Generalized Method of Moments Spatial Logit for Large Samples, Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 460–471.
With Daniel P. McMillen, 2008, Evolving Agglomeration in the U.S. Auto Supplier Industry, Journal of Regional Science, Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 245–267.
With Jim Rubenstein, 2014, "The evolving geography of the U.S. motor vehicle industry," Handbook of Industry Studies and Economic Geography, Frank Giarratani, Geoff Hewings, and Philip McCann (eds.), Edward Elgar, pp. 38-66.
With James Rubenstein, 2008, Who Really Made Your Car? Restructuring and Geographic Change in the U.S. Auto Industry, Kalamazoo, MI: W. E. Upjohn Institute. Looks at where the parts in cars are made and where they are assembled.
Presentations and Other Resources
Webinar presented at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
January 17, 2018
Presented at the Mercatus Center
February 19, 2009