Charging Ahead with Electrification—A Conversation About the Auto Industry

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 and the responsiveness of the demand for new vehicles to the price of gasoline.

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-Universitaet Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, an MA from Wayne State University, and a PhD in economics from Michigan State University.

Kristin Dziczek is senior vice president of research at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR). Dziczek joined CAR in 2005 and has more than 25 years of experience as a researcher and policy analyst. She is globally recognized as an expert on automotive competitiveness, trade, industrial policy, labor, and talent issues. She regularly presents at conferences and industry events throughout North America.

Dziczek leads CAR’s business and technology groups, with a research portfolio focused on developing a better understanding of the connections between the automotive industry, technology, the economy, society, and public policy.

Prior to joining CAR, Dziczek served as the associate director of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center and worked for the U.S. Congress, International Union UAW, and General Motors Corporation. She has published articles in the Monthly Labor Review, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Journal of Technology Transfer, and Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, among others. She earned her BA in economics, MPP in public policy, and MS in industrial and operations engineering, all from the University of Michigan.

John D. Graham is professor of risk analysis and decision science at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University. He previously served as a senior OMB official in the George W. Bush administration, where he oversaw automotive regulation. He recently wrote the book The Global Rise of the Modern Plug-In Electric Vehicle, published by Elgar Publishing.