FARE SEMINAR: The Economics of Value Chains

The Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (FARE) is pleased to welcome Dr. David Ziberman, University of California Berkley, for a seminar on The Economics of Value Chains.

Abstract:

We analyze the transition from innovative ideas to final marketed products. This transition occurs through two synergetic supply chains for innovation and products. Basic concepts are developed, tested, upscaled, and introduced to commercial use in the innovation supply chain. Then, the products are produced and delivered to the consumer through the product supply chain. We argue that product markets trace their birth to product innovations. These markets tend to start as noncompetitive, which rewards innovators. Credit access and risk determine the reliance on contracting and product diffusion over space and time. The innovation and product supply chains are encouraged and facilitated by public policies, such as support for research and education, intellectual property rights protection, low barriers to trade, science-based regulation, and well-functioning capital markets. We argue for multidisciplinary research incorporating knowledge from economics, business, and engineering to better understand the evolution of innovative companies and supply chains. This understanding will help the development of policies to address challenges of climate change and food security, among others.

Biography:

David Zilberman holds the Robinson Chair in the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department at the University of California at Berkeley.  He received the 2019 Wolf Prize in Agriculture, was a U.S. National Academy of Science member since 2019, served as the 2018-19 President of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA), and is a fellow of multiple professional associations (AAEA, EAERE, AERE, IAEA) He has over 400 referenced journal articles and has edited 30 books. In addition, he has served as a Consultant to the U.S.EPA, USDA, the World Bank, FAO, MARS, BP, and others. David's BA is from Tel Aviv University, and his Ph.D. is from Berkeley. David co-founded the Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program and the Berkeley MDP program. David's research analyzes water, innovation, the Biotechnology supply chain, and the interactions between agriculture, energy, and the environment.