Robert Patrick Barten Paine (April 10, 1926 – July 8, 2010) was a British-born Canadian anthropologist whose primary areas of study were the Saami people of northern Scandinavia and the Inuit, though he also published on topics as diverse as the Jewish settlers of the West Bank[1] and the purpose of gossip.

He was also named Director of the Institute for Social and Economic Research, "which he developed as a vibrant center of scholarship and publication, attracting many exciting scholars and making a significant impact on Memorial's international reputation.

"[7] In his 1977 book The White Arctic, Paine develops the theory of Welfare Colonialism, detailing how investments in the health, education, employment and welfare of indigenous inhabitants of the Canadian Arctic had perverse effects, lowering living standards and weakening traditional institutions of support.

[10] Paine has stated that the intended audience for his work on welfare colonialism in the Canadian Arctic was "policymakers in Ottawa" who had the power to address the situation.

Paine met his third wife, the anthropologist and refugee advocate Lisa Gilad, in Israel while teaching at Hebrew University.

[14] His fourth wife, the Israeli writer, lawyer and human rights activist Rachel Kimor, returned with Paine to live in St.