Russell David Roberts, born on September 19, 1954, in Baltimore, Maryland, is an American economist. He earned a B.A. in economics from the University of Rochester in 1975 and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago in 1981. Roberts has had a distinguished academic career, teaching economics at institutions such as George Mason University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Stanford University. He is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where his work focuses on economic policy, trade, and the role of markets. Roberts is the author of several books, including 'The Choice: A Fable of Free Trade and Protectionism' (1993), 'The Price of Everything: A Parable of Possibility and Prosperity' (2008), and 'How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life' (2014). He is the host of the EconTalk podcast, launched in 2006, which has become a prominent platform for discussions on economics, philosophy, and public policy, featuring interviews with leading intellectuals. Since 2021, he has served as president of Shalem College in Jerusalem, Israel.