For the past five years, I have traveled to Texas A&M in college Station to collaborate with the ag econ people there. I have served on dissertation committees, worked with devoted students, and published several papers with them. One, on climate change, is among the best papers I have produced in recent years. These visits have […]
Between Berkeley, CA and College Station, TX Read More »
Last week, I participated in a workshop sponsored by the International Association of Agricultural Economists at Oxford honoring the late Uma Lele. The workshop made me appreciate what a creative, dynamic, and consequential agricultural economist she was. It also gave me an opportunity to stay at Christ Church College, and think about universities, tradition, excellence,
Empowerment, development and generosity-Remembering Uma Lele at Oxford Read More »
Professor Eithan Hochman of the Hebrew University, a graduate of our department at Berkeley, a frequent visitor to Berkeley, and a collaborator and friend of many of us, passed away in Rehovot, Israel, at the age of 95. Eithan was an important part of my life for more than fifty years, and in many ways,
Remembering Eithan Hochman: Scholar, Mentor, Adventurer, and Friend Read More »
The emergence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the mid-1990s raised major questions. What would their impact be on yields, costs, profitability, pesticide use, and the environment? Who would benefit from the technology, and who might lose? How should intellectual property rights be managed? What were the implications for international trade, and what role would
Combining Knowledge with Fun in Ravello Read More »
When I was eight years old, my father began taking me to synagogue on Shabbat. We were living in Israel, and my family was what Israelis called traditional. We did not drive on the Sabbath or light a fire, though we did turn electric lights on and off. My father went to the synagogue every
The Encyclopedia That Gave Me a Choice Read More »
I was introduced to Carl Pray by Doug Parker. At the time, I was working on a paper on the political economy of agricultural research, and I spoke with Carl about some of the ideas behind it. We discussed the possibilities for government support of research and the extent to which such research should be
Carl Pray: A Friend and a Wise Scholar Read More »
Around 1985, a large, imposing, energetic man walked into my office and began telling me about his research on technology adoption and farm-system choices. He introduced himself as Bruce McCarl from Oregon State. I had just finished a paper on adoption, and I was embarrassed that I had ignored his work. So I read some
Bruce McCarl: An Unsung Hero of Climate Change Economics Read More »
On Thursday, April 9, after my class, I felt pain in my chest. I was supposed to attend Isha Ray’s retirement party, but instead I went home. After a while, the pain subsided. The next evening, it returned, so I went to the emergency room at Kaiser. They immediately performed an EKG and, after ruling
Losing a Gallbladder, Gaining Perspective Read More »
Several weeks ago, I was invited to participate in a series of University of Notre Dame conferences on environmental sustainability—first in Castel Gandolfo and now in Rome. The project was inspired by Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical Laudato Si'(“Praised Be”), which framed care for the planet as an urgent moral responsibility closely linked to human dignity and justice, particularly for
Learning About Environment and Faith Read More »
In early February, I participated in the Ashby Workshop on the social impacts of artificial intelligence (AI), held at the Salamander Resort in Middleburg, Virginia. The workshop was organized by Fathom, a philanthropy-supported nonprofit, and brought together about 150 participants under strict no-attribution and no-recording rules. The group was deliberately multidisciplinary, including AI researchers, scientists, ethicists, economists, and policymakers.
Learning enjoying and assessing AI Read More »