B.Eng (Hon) M.Eng.Sci Melbourne, MS and PhD Harvard, FASSA

Professor Tyers is a specialist in applied international economics. He has a doctorate from Harvard University and is currently appointed to the UWA Business School, with an adjunct professorship at the Australian National University. His research applies economic modelling to issues in international economics and international finance, with emphasis on the global implications of Asian macroeconomic policies, growth performance and financial market behaviour.

Secular stagnation, financial volatility and global macroeconomic performance
Global economic interdependence with China
Macroeconomic policy coordination
The Chinese transition and its implications
Japan and its potential to escape stagnation
New approaches to modelling global trade and finance

2020-          Australian Research Council Discovery Grant, “Automation and Inequality at the Global Level: Implications for Australia”, leading CI with Markus Brueckner  (ANU) and Yixiao Zhou (ANU), $500,852.

2017-2018    Australian Research Council Discovery Project Proposal, “Automation and Inequality at the Global Level: Implications for Australia”, leading CI with Markus Brueckner  (ANU) and Yixiao Zhou (Curtin U), announced top 10% of unsuccessful proposals.

          UWA “Near Miss” funding, $20,000.

          Application revised and resubmitted in 2019.

2015-2017 Woodside Petroleum, “The economic implications of Australia’s natural gas reservation policies”, leading Chief Investigator with Professor Peter Hartley and Ms Kelly Neill, $130,000, not including UWA Research Office matching funds, $20,000.

2013-2016       Coordinating CI on establishment grant from the Perth US-Asia Centre, UWA, “Economic Interdependency between Asia, the US and Australia”, $10,000.

2010-2014 Australia-Japan Foundation Grant, “Modelling Japanese economic performance – implications for Australia”, joint Chief Investigator with Professor Jenny Corbett, Crawford School, Australian National University, $40,000.

2010-2012 ARC Discovery Grant DP 1094835, “Commodity Booms and Busts: Implications for the Australian Economy”, second Chief Investigator, with Ken Clements, UWA, $270,000, granted over three years.

2008-2010 ARC Discovery Grant DP0879094 “Economic Growth and Real Exchange Rates”, first investigator, joint with Professors Steve Dowrick and Heather Anderson, ANU, $314,000 granted over three years.

2005-2007 ARC Discovery Grant DP0557885 “Economic consequences for Australia of global demographic change”, first investigator, joint with Professor Tim Hatton, Dr Siew-Ean Khoo, Em/Professor Ron Duncan, Dr Max Tani, Dr Qun Shi, ANU, $260,000 granted over three years, carried forward into 2008.

2005-2007 ARC Discovery Grant DP0557885 “Economy-wide consequences of regulation and privatisation in Australia”, first investigator, joint with Professor Flavio Menezes, Director of the Australian Centre for Regulatory Economics, Faculty of Economics and Commerce, ANU, $380,000 granted over three years.

2004 Faculty of Economics and Commerce, ANU, Internal Research Grant: “Sectoral similarity trends and the damping of Stolper-Samuelson effects”, $6,000 for one year.

2001-2005 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC). Large Grant ANU-51A: “Global demographic and income trends: their implications for food consumption”, joint with Emeritus Professor Ron Duncan, ANU, A$176,679 over three years.

1999-2004 Australian Council for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Project No. ADP/1998/128, Project leader Emeritus Professor (Economics and Commerce ANU) Ron Duncan, associate investigator Professor Rod Tyers, $930,746, "Achieving food security in China: implications of WTO accession".

1999-2002 Australian Research Council. Large Grant A00000201, “Growth and recession in Asia: impacts on wages and employment in Australia and other high wage countries”, sole Chief Investigator, A$80,000 over three years.

1995 Australian Research Council. Large grant A79532636 to study rises in wage inequality and unemployment in Australia and other industrial countries and determine the contributions of developing country trade and domestic technical change. A$47,000. First investigator, with Rod Falvey and Robert McDougall.

World Bank, International Economics Department (IECIT), grant to extend research on wage inequality in industrial countries and its links to trade with developing countries. US$30,000. First investigator, with Rod Falvey and Ron Duncan.

1993 Australian Research Council. Small grant 92FIGI096 (S6600417)to study changes in Australia’s trade patterns and their implications for unemployment and income distribution. A$13,000. First investigator, with Rod Falvey and Peter Forsyth.

1992 Australian Research council. Large grant AF9130595 to study the implications of trade reform for investment and innovation in Australia and East Asia. A$60,000. First investigator, with Neil Vousden and Ngo Van Long. Neil took over coordination and most of the research in 1993 as I became overcommitted elsewhere.

1988 Australian Research Council. Large grant A78931961 to study imperfect competition and trade policy in four archetypal economies of the Western Pacific. A$17,500.

1984 World Bank, International Economic Analysis and Projections Department, grant to support research toward a background paper for the World Development Report 1995. US$70,000. Joint with Kym Anderson.

1979 Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, grant to fund cooperative research on US-Asia trade in agricultural products, US$25,000.

2001-2009       Professor of Economics in the College of Business and Economics, Australian National University, Canberra

1993-2001       Reader, Department of Economics in the Faculties, Australian National University, Canberra.

1990-1993       Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics in the Faculties, Australian National University, Canberra.

1987-1990       Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Adelaide, South Australia.

1984-1987       Research Fellow in Economics, National Centre for Development Studies, Australian National University.

1982-1984       Research Fellow, Department of Economics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University.

1980-1981       Research Associate, Resource Systems Institute, East West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii.

1978-1979       Research Fellow, Resource Systems Institute, East West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Awards

2020                 China Economic Review (Elsevier) award for best paper published in 2019, for Y. Zhou and R. Tyers (2019), "Automation and inequality in China", Vol 58, December.

2019                 Australian Centre for Applied Macroeconomics, sole paper chosen for presentation at the NBER Asian Seminar, Bangkok, 6-7 June.

2017                 Vice Chancellor’s acknowledgement of teaching excellence.

2013                 Nomination for UWA Prize for Research Supervision, not pursued.

2012                 Nomination for UWA Prize for Teaching, not pursued.

2011                 Nomination for UWA Prize for Research Supervision, not pursued.

2010                 Beijing Forum – funded invitation to speak, Beijing, 7-9 November 2010.

                         Nomination for UWA Prize for Teaching, not pursued.

2009                 Nomination for UWA Prize for Research Supervision.

2007                 Australian National University – Chinese University Exchange Fellowship, to cover all local costs associated with a one-month visit to the China Center for Economic Research at Peking University, Beijing.

2006                 Asian Development Bank: sponsored invitation to present at the experts’ seminar on: Shaping the Future: Prospects for Asia’s Long-term Development over the Next Two Decades, 11 – 12 December, 2006: Tyers, R., J. Golley and I. Bain, “Projected economic growth in China and India: the role of demographic change”.

2005                 Asian Development Bank: sponsored invitation to present at the Experts’ Meeting on Long Term Scenarios for Asia’s Growth and Trade, 2-4 November.

2000                 Fully funded invitation to deliver a paper at the International Economic Association conference on Globalisation and Labour Markets, University of Nottingham, July.

1999                Fully funded invitation to visit the University of Birmingham to deliver the Jean Monnet Lecture at the annual conference of the International Economics Study Group, September.

1996                GTAP (Global Trade Analysis Project, Purdue University) Honorary Research Fellowship.  Awarded for contributions to the extension of the GTAP database and its applications.

1991                Australian Agricultural Economics Society travel award to attend the biennial conference of the International Agricultural Economics Association in Tokyo, August, A$2,000.

1989                Winner, international food and agricultural policy article competition, Centre for International Food and Agricultural Policy, University of Minnesota (award included a price of US$2,000 and a funded invitation to give a lecture at the University of Minnesota) for Tyers, R. and K. Anderson "Liberalising OECD Agricultural Policies in the Uruguay Round: Effects on Trade and Welfare", Journal of Agricultural Economics, 1988.

1988                Inaugural J.G. Crawford Award for published article on Japan and its relations with Australia (award included a prize of A$2,000), for Anderson, K. and R. Tyers "Japan's Agricultural Policy in International Perspective", Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 1987.

1972                CSIRO Postgraduate Study Award to Harvard University.

1970                Institution of Engineers Australia Prize for Undergraduate Studies in Engineering.

University Administration

Head of Economics, UWA Business School, July 2021 -

Faculty Board, UWA Business School, June 2015 - 2016.

Budget and Planning Committee, UWA Business School, January 2015 - 2016.

Acting Head of Economics, UWA Business School, July 2014 - January 2015.

Acting Dean, College of Business and Economics (Semester II, 2006)

Full deanship during the dean’s outside studies leave abroad.

Deputy Dean, College of Business and Economics (2003-4, 2006)

Responsible for the routine business of the Dean’s Office, including chairing appeals, academic progress and discipline panels, representing the dean at meetings convened by the Vice Chancellor as well as at numerous social and celebratory events, and acting in the deanship during the Dean’s frequent absences.

Convenor, ANU’s National Institute of Economics and Business (2002-4)

Responsible for integrating the 23 centres for research and teaching in economics and business at the ANU, compiling and maintaining an ANU-wide prospectus and associated web site and organising public lectures in the economics and business fields.  Supervisor of the National Institute’s Executive Officer.  The National Institutes were subsequently discontinued by the Vice Chancellor in favour of a restructuring of the university into seven Colleges.

Other Australian National University (1990-2009):

            Convenor, College of Business and Economics Graduate Coursework in Economics (2008-9)

            College of Business and Economics Research Committee (2006-7)

            Coordinator, joint undergraduate program ANU-NEU (Vietnam) (2002-6)

            ANU Graduate Degrees Committee (2003-4)

            Faculty of Economics and Commerce Executive Committee (2003-4)

            Elected member, Board of the Faculties (1995–7, 2002-4)

            Faculty of Economics and Commerce Graduate Studies Committee

            (2002-3)

            Faculty of Economics and Commerce Teaching Award Committee (2001-3)

            Coordinator, casual and continuing Associate Lecturer appointments & tutorial assignments (1996-8, 2000-3)

            Chair, School Working Group on Mathematical Economics and Econometrics 2001

            Economics seminar coordinator (1992, 1993-4, 1998-99, Semester II 2000)

            Coordinator, Economics IV Honours and Honours in Applied Economics programs (Semester II, 2000)

            Chair, Professorial Search Committee (1995)

            Chair, Subcommittee on Departmental Administration (1994-5)

            Chair, Review of Departmental Administration (1994)

            Coordinator, Economics IV Honours program (1993)

University of Adelaide (1987-90):

            Board of Research Studies (1988)

            Chairman, Faculty Higher Degrees Committee (1988-90)

            Postgraduate Studies Coordinator, (1988-90)

            Course Convenor: Graduate Diploma in Economics (1989-90), Master of Economics by Coursework (1988-90).

Australian National University (1982-87):

            Coordinator, International Economic Databank (1982-4)

External Honorary Appointments

2019                Elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, Australia, inducted November.

2009 -              Adjunct Professor of Economics, Research School of Economics, College of Business and Economics, Australian National University, 2009 -.

                         Panellist, Australian Treasury Model Development Independent Advisory Panel.

2004 -              Research Associate of the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis (CAMA), Australian National University.

2009-2012       GTAP Research Fellow of the Center for Global Trade Analysis, Purdue University, reappointed July 2009 till July 2012 with the citation: “For contributions to the modelling of demographic changes using the Dynamic GTAP Model, and for his previous contributions to the construction of the labour data in the GTAP Database”.

2005                 Reappointed as External Fellow of the re-named Leverhulme Centre for Research on Globalisation and Economic Policy, University of Nottingham, February.

2004                 Elected as inaugural Research Associate of the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis (CAMA), Australian National University.

2003                 Elected Research Fellow, Rural Development Research Consortium, University of California, Berkeley, March: www.rdrc.net.

2002                 Re-elected External Fellow of the Global Trade Analysis Project, based at Purdue University, USA.

2000                 First appointment as External Fellow of the Centre for Research on Globalisation and Labour Markets, University of Nottingham.

2000                 Invited chair, Workshop on Modelling the Effects of Greenhouse Policy Responses, Australian Productivity Commission, Canberra, 15 December.

1999                 Jean Monnet Lecture at the 24^th Annual Conference of the International Economics Study Group of the UK, University of Birmingham, 11 September 1999, title “International agricultural trade policy reform”.

1998                 First elected External Fellow of the Global Trade Analysis Project, Purdue University, USA.

1996-8             Editor, with Deborah Peterson, Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics and member of the National Council of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society Inc.

1994-5             President, ACT Branch, Australian Agricultural Economics Society.  Initiated reform of the national body, culminating in change of name to the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.  Coordinated monthly meetings in seminar, dinner speach and debate formats.

1993-4             President Elect and Council member, ACT Branch, Australian Agricultural Economics Society. 

Visiting Appointments

2019   Visiting Professor, Australian Centre for China in the World, Australian National University, July.

2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017  Visiting Professor, Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, December.

2013    Visiting Professor, China Center for Economic Research, School of Development, Peking University, 4 – 11 June.

2008    Visiting Professor, China Center for Economic Research, Peking University, 6 April to 4 May and 1-15 December.

2007    Visiting External Fellow, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Purdue University, 1-30 September.

            Research Associate, Center for International Economics, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1-15 October.

            Visiting Professor, China Center for Economic Research, Peking University, 16 October – 10 November.

            Visiting Professor, Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research, 11-30 November.

2004    Three short term Visiting Fellowships, Economics Program, Research School of Social Sciences, ANU; Centre for Global Trade Analysis, Purdue University; Leverhulme Centre for Research on Globalisation and Economic Policy, University of Nottingham.

1999       Visiting Fellow, Department of Economics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, ANU: July, August, November, December.

            Visitor, School of Economics, Globalisation and Labour Markets Project, University of Nottingham, September, October.

1995    Visitor, Economics Program, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, January, May, June.

            Visiting Research Fellow, AGRAP, World Bank, Washington DC, February, March, April.

1992-93Visiting Fellow, Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, U.K., October 1992 through February 1993.

            Visiting faculty member, Agricultural Economics Unit, Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, U.K., October 1992 through February 1993.

1992    Visiting Fellow, Trade and Macroeconomics Division, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C., July through September.

Service

Editor:

Founding co-editor (with Deborah Peterson) of the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 1996-98.  This journal, published by Blackwell, replaced two journals previously published by the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.

Editorial Board:

Springer Series on Advances in Applied CGE Modelling, 2015-.

 Academic Refereeing:

For the following publications: The China Economic Review, The Journal of Asian Economics, Asian Population Studies, The Asian Economic Journal, The Australian Economic Review, The Economic Record, Review of International Economics, International Economic Review, European Economic Review, World Development, Journal of Economic Integration, Journal of Policy Modeling, The World Economy, The Asian Economic Journal, Pacific Economic Review, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, The Journal of Applied Economics, Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, European Review of Agricultural Economics, Journal of Agricultural Economics, Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Economic Papers, World Bank Economic Review, Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics, Journal of Development Studies, Pacific Economic Papers, the Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs and the Review of Income and Wealth.

External Professional Activity:

2015    Economic Society of Australia WA Branch, End of Year Presentation, 9 December, “Does a Commodity Bust Necessitate an Australian Downturn?”

2015    Lectures on Developments in the Chinese and Japanese Economies for the Perth US-Asia Centre, UWA Club, 11 September and 9 October.

2015    UWA Confucius Institute, Public Panel at the University Club on “The Chinese Economy: Myths and Realities”, 12 November 2015, “The Chinese Slowdown and its global effects”

2014    Lectures on Global Macroeconomic Performance for Duke Executive Education, Perth, 12 May and 16 August.

2012    Public Lecture: UWA Institute of Advanced Studies Inquiring Minds Lecture Series, 3 October, “Growth headwinds in China and Japan: Implications for the Australian Economy”, to view: http://ias.csp.uwa.edu.au/?page_id=2, or to download as a podcast: http://www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/tyers, or via You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HYhZ8CeCJQ

2012    Short course in Modelling the Open Economy for the Macroeconomic Modelling and Development Unit, Australian Treasury, intensive over 5 days, March.

2010    Short course in Modelling the Open Economy for the Macroeconomic Modelling and Development Unit, Australian Treasury, intensive over 5 days, November.

2009      Short course in Modelling the Open Economy for the Macroeconomic Modelling and Development Unit, Australian Treasury, intensive over 5 days, November.

            Short course in the Macroeconomics of Financial Shocks, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, October.

2008    Short course in Modelling the Open Economy for the Climate Change Modelling Team, Australian Treasury, ten sessions August-November.

2007    Graduate course in Modelling the Open Economy, China Center for Economic Research, Peking University, Beijing, 15 October – 9 November, 2007.

            Short Course in Modelling the Open Economy, Department of Transport and Regional Services, Government of Australia, Canberra, 11-13 April.

2005    November-December: Australian Productivity Commission, Melbourne, referee on the modelling work for the Commission study: “Economic Impacts of Migration and Population Growth”.

2004    October: World Bank, Washington DC, project on Doha Round trade reforms, culminating in paper: “Implicit Policy Preferences and Trade Reform by Tariff Aggregates”.

2001    Australian Productivity Commission, Melbourne, external referee, Staff Research Paper: “The role of technology in determining skilled employment: an economy-wide approach”.

2000    December: Australian Productivity Commission, Invited chair of Workshop on Modelling the Effects of Greenhouse Policy Responses,.

April: Australian Productivity Commission, Canberra, external referee, Review of Australia’s General Tariff.

1998    July: Australian Treasury: lecturer on international economics, refresher course in economics; January-February

            November: Australian Industry Commission, Melbourne, external referee, coal sector modelling and benchmarking study.

1995    World Bank: Agricultural policy analysis on former Soviet Union economies: the Baltic states, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.  December: concluding presentation on LDC trade and wages in industrial countries.

1994    World Bank: Coordinating author, commissioned paper on LDC trade and industrial country wages.

1992    World Bank: Lectures on international trade conflicts in agriculture to staff training workshop.

1990    Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Analysis of trade reforms in Uruguay Round of negotiations.

1989    UN-FAO: Project on trade policy and income distribution, Kuala Lumpur. The Netherlands:  Evaluation of government funded research by the Centre for World Food Studies (SOW) in Amsterdam.

1987    Australian Bureau of Agricultural Economics, Analysis of strategies in multinational trade negotiations.  United Nations, ESCAP: Background research for Asian Economic Survey.  Industries Assistance Commission, Government of Australia:   Modeling effects of protection on the world rice market.

1986    Canadian Tariff Commission: Effects of U.S. agricultural policy on Canada.

1985-86World Bank: Background paper for World Development Report 1986 on world food trade and trade policy issues.

1985    Australian Development Assistance Bureau: Report on sectoral specialisation in aid and procurement for aid.

1983    UN-ESCAP: Review of Asian Food Bank proposal.

1981    UN-ESCAP: Economic analysis of agricultural policy for the ASEAN and Pacific Economic Cooperation Project.

1981    United States National Academy of Sciences, Representative of the at the Food and Agriculture Status Report, International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria.

1978    Ford Foundation, Islamabad, Pakistan: Field analyst for the Indus Basin Agricultural Development Research Assessment Project.

1975    Asian Development Bank, Dacca, Bangladesh.  Field analyst for Meta Systems Inc. on the Bangladesh Energy Study.

1974    Ford Foundation, New Delhi, India:  Field analyst on the Narmada River Basin Project, Gujarat.

Conference and Workshop Convenor:

2013                UWA Business School, Convenor of the Biennial Workshop on the Chinese Economy and of the associated corporate “Breakfast by the Bay”, April.

2000                 Appointment to the organising committee of the International Economic Association for its conference on Globalisation and Labour Markets in the UK in July 2000.

1982                Workshop on ASEAN Agricultural Trade Policy, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

1980                Workshop on Trans-Pacific Food Commodity Trade, East West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii.

1979                Conference on Food Security in Asia and the Pacific, East West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Memberships

International Economics and Finance Society (IEFS)

Economic Society of Australia (ESA)

American Economic Association (AEA)

The financial origins of secular stagnation
Long run global effects of Chinese demographic contraction
Chinese macroeconomic policy and economic performance
Japanese oligopolies and economic performance
The determinants of commodity price volatility – implications for Australia
Demographic change in China: implications for the world economy
Economic growth, macroeconomic shocks and real exchange rate realignment

Industrial Relevance

China and Japan are amongst Australia’s largest trading partners. The research on their economies bears directly on the demand for mineral ores and energy products and so is of direct interest to the state’s mining and energy industries. The work on real exchange rate realignment is also of interest to state industries since it links export prices and domestic production costs. It is also of interest in the formulation of national economic policy.

Collaborations with Other Institutions

Collaborating institutions include the Australian National University and the China Center for Economic Research at Peking University. There is also liaison with the Australian Treasury and Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research.

University of Western Australia Business School: 2009 -

Advanced Macroeconomics (honours and graduate): 2009-10, 2015-21

Economics of Financial Markets (graduate): Semesters 1&2, 2016-2021

Advanced Macroeconomics (honours and graduate): 2009-10, 2015-

Economic Policy Analysis (advanced undergraduate): 2014-15

Macroeconomic Theory (advanced undergraduate): 2010-2014

Money, Banking and Financial Markets (advanced undergraduate): 2009-2012

Australian National University: 1990 - 2009

Modelling the Open Economy (Graduate, 2005-2012, latter three visiting from UWA)

Graduate Diploma Macroeconomics (2005, 2008)

International Economics (Undergraduate and Graduate 2007)

Business Economics (MBA, 2005)

Investment Decisions and Financial Systems (Engineering) (2001-3)

Intermediate Macroeconomics (2000-5)

Economics III Honours (International Economics) (1998-2003)

International Economics (Graduate and Honours component only) (1998-2003)

Mathematics for Advanced Economic Analysis (summer intensive) (1999-2003)

Graduate International Trade Theory (Masters) (1998)

Macroeconomics I (1995-1998)

Graduate Microeconomic Theory (M Ec and Honours) (1992-1993, 1997)

Graduate Research Seminar (1993)

Quantitative International Economics (M Ec and Honours) (1991-93)

International Economics (Graduate Diploma in Foreign Affairs and Trade) (1991)

Macroeconomics of Developing Countries (Grad Dip Ec of Dev program) (1992)

Agricultural Economics (1992)

Economics I (Honours microeconomics component) (1990-1991)

University of Adelaide -  1987-1990

            Microeconomic Theory (Masters and fourth year Honours)

            International Trade (Masters and fourth year Honours)

            Microeconomics II (second year undergraduate and Graduate Diploma)

            Applied Econometrics (third year undergraduate)

Australian National University - 1984-1986

            Applied Econometrics and Policy Modelling (M Ec Dev program).