2024 was full of activity, both personal and professional. Family first. The highlight has always been meeting with our families, especially the grandchildren. Geo and Nava, our Seattle grandchildren (Shie and Leigh’s), are into sports and art. Geo is a soccer superstar who plays on multiple teams with older kids and has infinite energy and […]
My Annual Review 2024 Read More »
I enjoyed my recent visit to New Delhi and Jarfour in India so much that I was excited to accept an invitation to the third Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi in October 2024. I attended all three days of the Conclave and then visited Kerala in Southern India with my guide and friend Gajendra Nathgubey (+91
Learning About and Enjoying India’s Natural Resources Read More »
Our bioeconomy consortium (ICABR) returned to Ravello after five years of pandemic and meetings in Bologna and Argentina. Ravello is as charming as ever. I still enjoy climbing the steps and taking in the view, but I do it slower. Both the regulars and some new faces participated in this glorious meeting. There was a
Integrating Technology and Policy To Tackle Climate Change Under the Italian Sun 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 »
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 »
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 »