1. About the IWH
  2. Team
  3. Economists

Professor Christiane Baumeister, PhD

Professor Christiane Baumeister, PhD
Current Position

since 6/19

Research Fellow Department of Macroeconomics

Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) – Member of the Leibniz Association

since 7/20

Professor of Economics

University of Notre Dame

download CV
Research Interests
  • empirical macroeconomics
  • forecasting
  • applied econometrics
  • energy economics

Christiane Baumeister joined the Department of Macroeconomics as a Research Fellow in June 2019. Her research focuses on empirical macroeconomics, applied time series econometrics, energy markets, monetary economics, and forecasting.

Christiane Baumeister is the Lambert Family Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame. She is also a Faculty Research Fellow of the NBER and a Research Affiliate of the CEPR. Prior to joining Notre Dame in July 2015, she was a Principal Researcher in the International Economic Analysis Department at the Bank of Canada. She has been a visiting scholar at the IMF and various central banks, including the Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis, Dallas, Cleveland, and Kansas City, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, the Bank of France, and the Bank of Finland.

Your contact

Professor Christiane Baumeister, PhD
Professor Christiane Baumeister, PhD
Mitglied - Department Macroeconomics
Send Message Personal page

Publications

cover_econometric-theory.jpg

Advances in Using Vector Autoregressions to Estimate Structural Magnitudes

Christiane Baumeister James D. Hamilton

in: Econometric Theory, forthcoming

Abstract

This paper surveys recent advances in drawing structural conclusions from vector autoregressions (VARs), providing a unified perspective on the role of prior knowledge. We describe the traditional approach to identification as a claim to have exact prior information about the structural model and propose Bayesian inference as a way to acknowledge that prior information is imperfect or subject to error. We raise concerns from both a frequentist and a Bayesian perspective about the way that results are typically reported for VARs that are set-identified using sign and other restrictions. We call attention to a common but previously unrecognized error in estimating structural elasticities and show how to correctly estimate elasticities even in the case when one only knows the effects of a single structural shock.

read publication
cover_the-review-of-economics-and-statistics.png

Tracking Weekly State-Level Economic Conditions

Christiane Baumeister Danilo Leiva-León Eric Sims

in: Review of Economics and Statistics, forthcoming

Abstract

This paper develops a novel dataset of weekly economic conditions indices for the 50 U.S. states going back to 1987 based on mixed-frequency dynamic factor models with weekly, monthly, and quarterly variables that cover multiple dimensions of state economies. We find considerable cross-state heterogeneity in the length, depth, and timing of business cycles. We illustrate the usefulness of these state-level indices for quantifying the main contributors to the economic collapse caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and for evaluating the effectiveness of the Paycheck Protection Program. We also propose an aggregate indicator that gauges the overall weakness of the U.S. economy.

read publication
cover_review-of-economics-and-statistics.jpg

Energy Markets and Global Economic Conditions

Christiane Baumeister Dimitris Korobilis Thomas K. Lee

in: Review of Economics and Statistics, No. 4, 2022

Abstract

We evaluate alternative indicators of global economic activity and other market funda-mentals in terms of their usefulness for forecasting real oil prices and global petroleum consumption. World industrial production is one of the most useful indicators. However, by combining measures from several different sources we can do even better. Our analysis results in a new index of global economic conditions and measures for assessing future energy demand and oil price pressures. We illustrate their usefulness for quantifying the main factors behind the severe contraction of the global economy and the price risks faced by shale oil producers in early 2020.

read publication
Browse all refereed publications
Mitglied der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft LogoTotal-Equality-LogoSupported by the BMWK