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Russell Roberts

J. Fish and Lillian F. Smith Professor of Economics
Professor of Economics, George Mason University

Biography

Russell Roberts is a professor of economics at George Mason University and holds the J. Fish and Lillian F. Smith Professor of Economics Chair at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. As the holder of the Smith Chair at the Mercatus Center, Dr. Roberts works to increase an understanding of economics and the principles of market exchange, private property and individual dignity, the rule of law, and individual freedom.

Dr. Roberts most recently completed a lengthy term as the John M. Olin Senior Fellow at the Murray Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy (formerly the Center for the Study of American Business) at Washington University in St. Louis. He has also taught at UCLA, Stanford University and the University of Rochester.

Dr. Roberts has authored two popular books, The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance and The Choice: A Fable of FreeTrade and Protectionism. Both books are novels that explain fundamental economic ideas and are widely used in the classroom. The Choice was named one of the top ten books of 1994 by Business Week and one of the best books of 1994 by the Financial Times.

Dr. Roberts is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio's Morning Edition and has written for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He is a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and the features editor of the Library of Economics and Liberty.

Dr. Roberts earned his PhD in economics from the University of Chicago and his BA in economics from the University of North Carolina.

Articles, Commentary, and Publications

• Why We Trade
• A Quota System for Immigration Won't Work
• Protectionists Never Learn
• Workers are fine with fewer unions
• Milton's Inner Fire
• Econoblog: Minding the Gap
• The Lessons of Monopoly

Books

• The Choice
• The Invisible Heart

Events

• Tricks of the Trade: The Fundamentals of Trade and Globalization
• For Richer or Poorer: America's Standard of Living
• 2007 Chief of Staff Retreat - Williamsburg, VA
• What’s the Grade on Trade?
• Doha Round and Around: Understanding International Trade
• Weather, Traffic, Housing Prices & Health Care: The Role of Unintended Consequences in Policy Design
• The Role of Profits in a Market Economy
• Economic Fundamentals of Trade and Globalization
• Trade Deficits, Free Trade Agreements, and the American Labor Market: A Debate
• Trading With Neighbors: CAFTA Winners and Losers

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