Economist Badi Baltagi is named the Great Arab Mind 2025 by Sheikh Mohammed

Decades of innovative work in panel data econometrics are recognized with this award. His Highness Professor Badi Baltagi has been named the winner of the Great Arab Minds Award 2025 in the Economics category by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Dubai. This announcement honors a career that has transformed contemporary economic analysis and reinforced the foundations of econometrics.

Innovative work in econometrics

Professor Baltagi, a renowned economics professor at Syracuse University, was recognized for his innovative contributions to econometrics, especially panel data analysis, a technique that enables economists to integrate data from various sources and time periods to derive more precise and profound conclusions. Wages, healthcare, and economic forecasting are just a few of the areas where his research has impacted economic policy.

A successful academic career

Professor Baltagi has written numerous significant books and published over 200 peer-reviewed research articles over his career. His most well-known work, Econometric Analysis of Panel Data, is considered a classic and has contributed to the development of the theoretical and practical underpinnings of panel data econometrics. Sheikh Mohammed pays tribute to BadiBaltagi Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid praised Professor Baltagi and emphasized the significance of his accomplishment for the Arab world as he announced the award on social media.

“We would like to congratulate Professor Badi Hani of Lebanon for winning the 2025 Great Arab Minds Award in the Economics category. He is a renowned economics professor at Syracuse University who has made significant contributions to econometrics and the creation of models for analyzing economic data. The Dubai Ruler noted, “He has published over 200 scholarly research papers, and his book on econometric analysis is widely regarded as a key reference for researchers around the world.”

Encourage sound economic reasoning

Professional economists are needed in our Arab communities. Accurate data and solid knowledge are the foundation of effective policies. Sheikh Mohammed continued, “A nation’s economy is shaped by its people’s minds and their determination to write a new Arab chapter in the journey of reviving our Arab civilization.”

Concerning the Great Arab Minds Award

The Great Arab Minds Award celebrates exceptional Arab talent across key fields of knowledge, spotlighting role models whose work advances global scholarship while inspiring future generations across the region.