James M. Roberts

James M. Roberts - James M. Roberts is the Research Fellow in Economic Freedom and Growth at The Heritage Foundation's Center for International Trade and Economics.

James M. Roberts - James M. Roberts is the Research Fellow in Economic Freedom and Growth at The Heritage Foundation's Center for International Trade and Economics.

Roberts' primary responsibility is to produce the Index of Economic Freedom, an influential annual analysis of the economic climate of countries throughout the world. The Index is co-published by Heritage and The Wall Street Journal. Roberts also studies economic and political issues in Latin America and Europe and weighs in on worldwide debates about development assistance and nation-building as well as trade and public-private partnership issues.

Before joining Heritage in 2007 Roberts was an Economist with the U.S. State Department for 25 years, serving as a Foreign Service Officer in Washington and at U.S. embassies in Mexico, Portugal, France, Panama and Haiti.

Roberts has a master's degree in international and development economics from Yale University. He also has an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor's degree in international affairs from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. Roberts also served as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.