Roberts Recognized as Spotlight Scholar

Imagine trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while the squares are constantly changing color.

That’s what it’s like to wrestle with issues of policy making and governance, according to Alasdair Roberts, professor of political science and the inaugural director of the university’s new School of Public Policy. It’s also what piqued Roberts’s interest in the study of government as far back as middle school. “I’ve always enjoyed looking at these problems because they’re so important but also so complex,” he says.

Roberts’ fascination with problem solving and aptitude for clear-headed analysis has earned him a reputation as a voice of reason in a changing world. He’s not afraid to ask thorny questions, as he does in his latest book, “Can Government Do Anything Right?” (Polity, 2018)