The World Trade Organization has announced the appointment of Professor Robert W. Staiger as its new Chief Economist and Director of the Economic Research and Statistics Division.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has appointed Professor Robert W. Staiger as its Chief Economist and Director of the Economic Research and Statistics Division (ERSD). 

Professor Staiger holds a prominent academic role as the Loren M. Berry Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College, where he has significantly contributed to research in international economics. Additionally, he is affiliated with the National Bureau of Economic Research as a Research Associate. An American national, Staiger earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Williams College and completed his PhD in Economics at the University of Michigan. His extensive background positions him as a leading voice in the field of world trade and is expected to bring valuable insights to the WTO during his tenure. 

The WTO, as an intergovernmental organization that regulates international trade, is keen on enhancing its research capability to support informed decision-making in global trade policies. 

The announcement comes during a time of increasing complexity in international trade dynamics, especially in the 2025 context of new (reciprocal) tariffs and renegotiated trade deals from the US Government under President Trump. Staiger expressed scepticism about this approach in an article just before Trump took office for his second term, stating that tearing down a "rules-based multilateral trading system and replace it with a power-based system will likely end in disappointment — if not disaster".

Announcing the appointment, the Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala expressed her enthusiasm about Staiger's expertise in international trade policy, particularly regarding the economics of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the WTO itself. 

Staiger will take up the position at the start of 2026.

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