Robert Z. Lawrence

Robert Z. Lawrence, PhD, is the Albert L. Williams Professor of Trade and Investment at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C. and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Previously, Lawrence served as a member of President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers from March 1999-January 2001. He has held the New Century Chair as a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and founded and edited the Brookings Trade Forum. Lawrence’s earlier roles include serving as a senior fellow in the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution, a research associate at Brookings, an instructor at Yale University and a professorial lecturer at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He has served as a consultant to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the World Bank, the OECD and UNCTAD. He was a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on International Trade and Investment. He was also a member of the Presidential Commission on United States Pacific Trade and Investment Policy, and has served as a member of the advisory committees of the Institute for International Economics, the Panel on Foreign Trade Statistics of the National Academy of Sciences, the Committee for Economic Development, the Overseas Development Council and the Panel of Economic Advisors of the Congressional Budget Office.

Lawrence has written over 100 papers and articles on topics in the field of international economics. His current research has focused on global integration, the future of manufacturing as a driver of inclusive economic growth and the impact of trade on the labor market. His books on domestic and international economic problems include: A US-Middle East Trade Agreement: A Circle of Opportunity?; Crimes and Punishments? Retaliation under the WTO; Single World, Divided Nations; Regionalism, Multilateralism, and Deeper Integration and Can America Compete? He has co-authored: Is Growth in Emerging Economies Good for the United States? Has Globalization Gone Far Enough?; Anchoring Reform with a US-Egypt Free Trade Agreement; Globaphobia: Confronting Fears About Open Trade; and A Vision for the World Economy: Openness, Diversity and Cohesion.

Lawrence was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and later immigrated to the United States in 1971. He earned his PhD in Economics in 1978 from Yale University.