Roberts was one of the first Latvian faculty members hired by the School during its first academic year. In his own words it all started in the following way:

“It started back in late November 1994 with one faxed sheet of paper that contained a brief statement of what the first SSE Riga Conference might be devoted to. This was my first assignment at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga – to organize an international conference on the issues of transition in the Baltic States. Perhaps because of the experience of this and later events, I have stayed with this institution all this time.”

This was the beginning of a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship that lasted until Roberts was elected Member of the Saeima in 2010. One year later he was appointed Minister of Education and Science – a position that he held until 2013. These years manifested his profound interest in bridging academia and policy for the benefit of Latvia and her people.

To more than 20 generations of SSE Riga students he will, however, be remembered as the professor who challenged them through the highly appreciated course in Economic Anthropology – encouraging them to see beyond homo economicus, inspiring them to engage in unorthodox field work and almost forcing them to question what might be seen as obvious at a first glance. Having his doctoral degree in Social Anthropology from Cambridge, it was all done with a distinct Cantabrigian touch.

On behalf of the SSE Riga community I would like to thank Roberts for his contributions to SSE Riga, the inspiration given to our students and for serving the Latvian nation. His legacy lives on.

Knowing that Roberts was a great fan of Sting, I hope he has found peace walking his “fields of gold”:

You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in fields of gold

 

Anders Paalzow
Rector, SSE Riga