As a young person, I viewed India as an exotic country headed by Gandhi and Nehru, with a heroic fight for freedom, the largest democracy with a rich past and much poverty. Over the years, I have gained much respect for India and its people- some of my best collaborators and friends are Indians. Over […]
On Temples, Gurus, and Holy Cows – Impressions of a Modernizing India Read More »
The year 2023 had a promising start. Gradually, we’ve removed the COVID-19 restrictions from the pandemic. We had a lot of rain in Berkeley, but no fires, ending the drought, and even the inflation rate declined. Yet, tragic events occurred toward the end of the year, and we are left to hope for the better.
My Annual Review 2023 Read More »
Students, friends, and colleagues have asked me about the war in Gaza. While none of my family members were hurt – people I know have been victims of the terrible attack of Hamas on October 7th. I am in a dark cloud of sorrow and helplessness. The loss of lives and the death and destruction
On Broken Dreams and The Need for Sanity in The Holyland Read More »
Last week, the first week of November 2023, I attended the 2023 World Laureate Association (WLA) meeting in Shanghai. This was the group’s first live meeting after the pandemic, and as usual, it was enjoyable and educational[1]. I enjoyed this meeting as an economist as I got exposed to the frontiers of science, where leading scholars thoroughly
The Strength of Science and the Vulnerability of Humanity Read More »
My family came from Vilnius – migrating to Israel 200 years ago and settling in Jerusalem. I’ve been aware of Lithuania, a basketball powerhouse that beat the US at the recent World Championship. I have always been curious about the place and was very happy when invited to help organize and participate in a conference
Learning about struggle, hope, and pride visiting Vilnius Read More »
As the world is preparing for a big environmental summit in Copenhagen, knowing that an agreement is very unlikely, it’s become apparent how difficult it is to reach an environmental agreement that can stick and change the course of history. People that can bring about such agreement are really rare, and last week we lost
Tom Graff: A practical environmental visionary Read More »
Recently I learned one of my dear colleagues, Bob Evenson from Yale University, passed away. Bob grew up on a farm in the Minnesota and got his PhD at the University of Chicago. He became a leading development economist, and taught for more than 30 years mostly at Yale. My early impressions, as a student
Bob Evenson: An economist with heart Read More »
Uri Regev, a teacher and friend of mine, passed away on April 22 in Israel at the age of 80. Uri grew up in Kibbutz Yagur in Israel, studied economics at Hebrew University and came to Berkeley, where he got his Ph.D. in agricultural economics in 1968. He spent most of his career at Ben Gurion
Uri Regev: an unsung hero of resource economics Read More »
On July 1st we held a celebration on the steps of Giannini Hall as Angie Erickson retired after 33 years of service in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ARE) and seven years as my Assistant (I actually favor the old fashion term Secretary because it implies the keeper of secrets, or confidant). Retirements
The retirement of Angie Erickson- an end of an era Read More »
When I was an undergraduate student in Israel, I remember asking one of my professors, ‘Who is the greatest economist in the world today: Samuelson or Friedman?’ His answer surprised me: Arrow. I was embarrassed not to know him, and asked “Who?!” My professor replied, “If you go to graduate school, you’ll learn about him.”
Ken Arrow – A Great economic theorist, but an even Greater humanist Read More »