Using baking powder to make baked food crispy
Not exactly an academic source, but a few articles on Serious Eats suggest that baking powder's gas releasing reaction forms small bubbles of protein on the surface that add surface area that can quickly dehydrate (a prerequisite for crispiness) and solidify. 
It's also a pretty common ingredient in things like batter for fried chicken, where I imagine the expanding bubbles do a similar thing—allow easier removal of water from the batter by increasing the surface area so it can crisp up.

The pH change may also help break down the skin, if applied in advance.