James A. Robinson is a British-American economist and political scientist. He is the Rev. Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies and a University Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. At Harris, he also directs The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. Robinson previously taught at Harvard University from 2004 to 2015.

Along with Daron Acemoglu, he has co-authored several books, including The Narrow Corridor, Why Nations Fail, and Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. In 2024, Robinson, Acemoglu, and Simon Johnson were awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for their comparative studies on prosperity between nations.