Raymond Robertson received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Texas at Austin. His dissertation and subsequent research focus on international, development, and labor economics. Prior to receiving his Ph. D., he attended and graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Following graduation from Trinity, he spent a year on a Fulbright grant in Mexico City studying the effects of NAFTA. A Social Science Research Council (SSRC) fellowship supported his dissertation field research in Mexico City.  As an assistant professor, he was the top-ranked liberal arts assistant professor in economics for publishing. His early research was supported by a three-year Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) grant from the National Science Foundation.  

He has published in the American Economic Review, the Review of Economics and Statistics, World Economy, the Journal of International Economics, and other journals.  His current research is supported by the World Bank, the ILO, and the Inter-American Development Bank.