Robert Z. Lawrence

Robert Zachary Lawrence (born 1949) is a South Africa-born American economist and Albert L. Williams Professor of International Trade and Investment at John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Lawrence was appointed to President Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers from March 1999 to January 2001.

He immigrated to the United States in 1971 and studied at Yale University where he received his Ph.D. in economics in 1978.

He has written over 100 papers and articles on topics in the field of international economics.

His recent research has focused on global integration and the impact of trade on the labor market.

Lawrence postulated that the 1964 Chicken Tax crippled the U.S. automobile industry, by insulating it from real competition in light trucks for 40 years. [ 1 ]