Exactly 100 years ago, in July 1919, at the sound of the bugle 700 men each holding the end of a rope passing above their heads, began walking slowly forward. The ropes were holding down a 640 foot, two football fields long airship called the R 34: ‘R’ for rigid and ‘34’ for the total … Continue reading »
Presidential hopefuls should campaign for a more caring capitalist economy
Co-authored with Simon Sallstrom, research coordinator for UC Berkeley’s Sustainable Shared-Prosperity Policy Index The candidates in the 2020 U.S. presidential race are proposing an array of economic policies frequently described as either free-market or socialist. These labels often confuse the American public. In particular, capitalism is widely — and wrongly — understood to be synonymous … Continue reading »
Trump’s NAFTA replacement needs its tires kicked
President Trump would like to see the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement ratified without delay. It’s a bit like a used car salesperson giving you 10 minutes to accept the deal of the century. You may want to look under the hood and test-drive the vehicle first. USMCA is largely an updated and rebranded version of the … Continue reading »
What Does It Mean to Live in This “Second Gilded Age”?
I am hearing from a number of people that columns like this one on “Excessive Wealth Disorder” and its ilk by Paul Krugman and our other compadres are bloodless, and ineffective. They do not convey any sense of what is happening. So let me make it more concrete: The top 0.01% of American workers—now some … Continue reading »
On receiving the Wolf Prize and on the scholar as an intellectual athlete
On May 30 I received the Wolf Prize in Agriculture in Jerusalem. It is considered the “Nobel Prize” of agriculture and mathematics. Many of the Wolf Prize laureates in Medicine and Chemistry go on to receive the Nobel Prize. I was honored and humbled to get the prize – especially because I am the … Continue reading »
Break ‘Em Up!
Forty years after Ronald Reagan, the antitrust pendulum has swung back. So far most of the discussion has focused on whether Facebook and other tech giants deserve “scrutiny.” But what then? Simply replacing Facebook with a new monopolist would do nothing to make consumers better off. The real question should instead be whether we can … Continue reading »
Creating a National Park System in China
Just over 20 years ago, I visited China representing the US National Park Service and traveled extensively to suggest how China might manage its protected areas. During our tour, I noted that their parks and protected areas, some carrying the National Park moniker, were poorly managed and lacked the professional oversight found in the US … Continue reading »
Reforming Facebook: First, Do No Harm
People say that America is a divided society, but there are at least two things we can agree on. First, that nobody likes Facebook’s ability to censor political speech. And second, that it would be incredible if Facebook’s leaders and employees, knowing that they hold such power, were not tempted to use it. From this … Continue reading »
D. Day
This is a blog I couldn’t find the way in Please post for me D Day On Tuesday June 6th 1944 I was a small boy attending primary school. I’m sure my parents heard the BBC 9 o’clock news announcing the Normandy invasion, but I was asleep in bed. However, I do have genuine memories … Continue reading »
DDay
I couldn’t make my password work can you post for me? Today is important.! 510 524 4320 D Day On Tuesday June 6th 1944 I was a small boy attending primary school. I’m sure my parents heard the BBC 9 o’clock news announcing the Normandy invasion, but I was asleep in bed. However, I do … Continue reading »
My annual review 2018
Towards the end of every year I post a summary of my personal and professional activities. They are intertwined. I hope this summary is enlightening to people who are interested in the university, its people and their ideas. I discuss first personal aspects, and then move to research and academic activities. I am 71 and … Continue reading »
Lyft doesn’t cause congestion, all vehicles do
Restrictions targeted at the newest road users are unfair and inefficient
NAFTA’s dark holidays
General Motors’ surprise announcement the Monday after Thanksgiving that it would eliminate 14,000 jobs and shutter five plants sent traumatic shock waves across the industrial Midwest and into Canada, putting a dark cloud over the holiday season. While these changes will affect autoworkers today, they will undoubtedly be felt by all working Americans in the … Continue reading »
The grim reality of racial segregation in the S.F. Bay Area
A new series of maps illustrates the reality of segregation in the Bay Area — not merely diversity, racial concentration and clustering, or mere demographics.
Peter Berck RIP — a distinguished scholar and member of the ARE family
This year we lost Peter Berck, a prominent member of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ARE) and the College of Natural Resources as well as a cherished friend and colleague of mine. Peter was born in New York, fell in love with Berkeley as an undergraduate and after completing his Ph.D. at MIT, … Continue reading »
Exit, voice and loyalty for graduation speakers
This is an edited excerpt from remarks Monday, May 14, at the graduation ceremonies for the Goldman School of Public Policy Public policy analysis deals with the hard problems faced in the public and non-profit sectors where we must bring political values to bear in the most effective way to solve difficult public problems. In … Continue reading »
My annual review 2017
This year moved very quickly, and it was relatively quiet on a personal level, which is good. I really enjoyed playing with my grandchildren as they grow up. Our sons and daughters-in-law are doing well. Leorah is enjoying her retirement, and maybe one day I’ll join her. She is really creative with her knitwear and … Continue reading »
A holiday message for the Berkeley campus
As the semester winds down and the holidays approach, I want to share with you a few reflections about where we as a campus have been and where we are headed. Please view this short video message for some of these thoughts: I hope your holiday break is invigorating, and I wish you a very … Continue reading »
Thinking about food, education and change in the land of the Incas
I first visited Peru 10 years ago and fell in love with the country. I enjoyed Lima’s wonderful coastline and the impressive old city. I will always remember my visit to Machu Picchu, which is one of my top-five favorite global destinations. With coca tea, I survived the altitude of the magnificent Cusco, the capital … Continue reading »
Nationalism and the future of higher education
(These remarks were delivered at the opening of a Nov. 16-17 conference observing the 60th anniversary of UC Berkeley’s Center for Studies in Higher Education, held in partnership with University World News, and exploring the influence of nationalism on major national universities around the world.) With varying levels of intensity, university are extensions of the … Continue reading »