Donald John Roberts
Encyclopedia
Donald John Roberts is the John H. and Irene S. Scully Professor of Economics, Strategic Management and International Business at the Stanford Graduate School of Business
(GSB). He has been a member of the Stanford faculty since 1980. He was a senior associate dean of the GSB in charge of external relations and executive education from 2000 to 2008, and from 1980 until 2001 he held the Jonathan B. Lovelace Professorship at the school. He also is a professor (by courtesy) in the Department of Economics at Stanford, and he directs the Global Management Program and the Center for Global Business and the Economy at the GSB. He was the doctoral thesis advisor for several well known economists, notably John Bates Clark Medal winner Susan Athey
.
Roberts, who is best known by his middle name, John, was born in Winnipeg
, Manitoba on February 11, 1945. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Manitoba
in 1967 and his doctorate in economics from the University of Minnesota
in 1972. He taught at Northwestern University
from 1971 until coming to Stanford in 1980.
Roberts' current research focuses on the design, governance and management of organizations, especially in an international context. He also has published extensively on industrial competition and the influence of differences in information among parties on strategic behavior. With Paul Milgrom
he was instrumental in introducing the use of games of incomplete information into economic modeling and also with bringing the methods of lattice programming
into the study of monotone comparative statics in economic analysis. Most recently, he has been involved in two path-breaking controlled experiments in large firms examining the effects of changing management practices. One study involves Indian cotton weaving firms. The other involves a large Chinese service company.
Roberts is a fellow and former council member of the Econometric Society
and he has served on the editorial boards of multiple economics journals. He is the author of more than 70 scholarly articles and co-author of the first textbook on the economics of organization and management. In 2004, The Economist
named his book The Modern Firm the year's best business book. In 2002, Roberts received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the GSB's Sloan Master's Program and in 2005 he received the school's Robert T. Davis Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
and received a Doctor of Laws degree (honoris causa) from the University of Winnipeg
in 2007.
Roberts is married and has three children.
Stanford Graduate School of Business
The Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of the professional schools of Stanford University, in Stanford, California and is broadly regarded as one of the best business schools in the world.The Stanford GSB offers a general management Master of Business Administration degree, the Sloan...
(GSB). He has been a member of the Stanford faculty since 1980. He was a senior associate dean of the GSB in charge of external relations and executive education from 2000 to 2008, and from 1980 until 2001 he held the Jonathan B. Lovelace Professorship at the school. He also is a professor (by courtesy) in the Department of Economics at Stanford, and he directs the Global Management Program and the Center for Global Business and the Economy at the GSB. He was the doctoral thesis advisor for several well known economists, notably John Bates Clark Medal winner Susan Athey
Susan Athey
Susan Carleton Athey is an American economist. She is currently Professor of Economics at Harvard University and the first female winner of the John Bates Clark Medal.- Early life :...
.
Roberts, who is best known by his middle name, John, was born in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba on February 11, 1945. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
in 1967 and his doctorate in economics from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1972. He taught at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
from 1971 until coming to Stanford in 1980.
Roberts' current research focuses on the design, governance and management of organizations, especially in an international context. He also has published extensively on industrial competition and the influence of differences in information among parties on strategic behavior. With Paul Milgrom
Paul Milgrom
Paul Robert Milgrom is an American economist. He is the Shirley and Leonard Ely Professor of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, a position he has held since 1987. Dr. Milgrom is an expert in game theory, specifically auction theory and pricing strategies...
he was instrumental in introducing the use of games of incomplete information into economic modeling and also with bringing the methods of lattice programming
Ordinal optimization
In mathematical optimization, ordinal optimization is the maximization of functions taking values in a partially ordered set . Ordinal optimization has applications in the theory of queuing networks.- Mathematical foundations :...
into the study of monotone comparative statics in economic analysis. Most recently, he has been involved in two path-breaking controlled experiments in large firms examining the effects of changing management practices. One study involves Indian cotton weaving firms. The other involves a large Chinese service company.
Roberts is a fellow and former council member of the Econometric Society
Econometric Society
The Econometric Society is an international society for the advancement of economic theory in its relation with statistics and mathematics. It was founded on December 29, 1930 at the Stalton Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio....
and he has served on the editorial boards of multiple economics journals. He is the author of more than 70 scholarly articles and co-author of the first textbook on the economics of organization and management. In 2004, The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
named his book The Modern Firm the year's best business book. In 2002, Roberts received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the GSB's Sloan Master's Program and in 2005 he received the school's Robert T. Davis Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
and received a Doctor of Laws degree (honoris causa) from the University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
in 2007.
Roberts is married and has three children.