David Baker

David Baker is a nonresident fellow with the Center for Universal Education at Brookings and a professor of sociology, education, and demography at Penn State University. He also serves as deputy editor of Demography, the flagship journal of the Population Association of America.

Baker’s research focuses on the impact of education on individuals and societies, international comparisons of school organization, academic outcomes, and educational policy. Baker leads multidisciplinary research projects on understanding the education effect on human cognition, population health, demographic trends, labor markets, and science productivity. His recent research on the impact of education on the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa, obesity in Latin America, the smoking epidemic in China, and the epidemiological transition to chronic disease has culminated in a forthcoming research article in Demography on “The Population Education Transition Curve.” He is also currently leading an international project on the impact of the university on the rise of the knowledge society and trends in global mega-science over the 20th Century leading to the new book "Century of Science: The Global Triumph of the Research University." His 2014 book, "The Schooled Society: The Educational Transformation of Global Culture," Stanford University Press was awarded the American Education Research Association- Outstanding Book of the Year.

In addition to his scientific research, Baker consults with multilateral organizations, such as the World Bank, the OECD, and UNESCO and national governments about education development. He has authored numerous policy reports and policy briefs for various national and international organizations. Baker assisted in the design of the International Activities Program at the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education; and has held various fellowships in the U.S. and internationally, including as the Fulbright Senior Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany, and, as a Fulbright New Century Scholar.

Baker holds a B.A. in psychology from Albion College, an M.S. in communication research from Boston University, and a Ph.D. in sociology from Johns Hopkins University.