The Beadle Center for Genetics and Biomaterials Research,
1901 Vine Street Lincoln, NE 68508
Auditorium Room E103
Free and open to the public and UNL students, staff, and faculty.
The Future of Pest-Resistant Crops
Insights from Game Theory: Lessons from the Fight against Antibiotic Resistance and Implications for Policy
Featuring David McAdams, Duke University
In January 2014, researchers in the United States reported the emergence of western corn rootworm resistance to two of the three toxins produced by pest-resistant transgenic maize. This was only the latest in a string of bad news, of transgenic crops all over the world losing their ability to protect against pests. In this talk, Duke economics professor David McAdams explores the game theory of transgenic crops and pesticide resistance, focusing especially on the conceptual similarities with – and lessons that can be learned from – the medical community’s long battle against antibiotic resistance. McAdams’ game-theory analysis will not only shed light on why existing best practices such as crop rotation and unprotected set-asides can be effective at combating the rise of toxin-resistance pests but point to novel approaches and policy solutions as well, including a novel proposal for so-called “save-it-or-lose-it patents” for transgenic crop producers that adequately safeguard their crops’ pest resistance.
David McAdams is Professor of Economics at the Duke Fuqua School of Business and the Duke Economics Department, and author of “GAME-CHANGER: Game Theory and the Art of Transforming Strategic Situations” (W.W. Norton, 2014).
This event will be followed by a book signing with the author of “GAME-CHANGER”.
Co-sponsored by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln College of Arts and Sciences through the Thomas C. Sorensen Endowment, University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, Agricultural Research Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska – Lincoln Center for Biotechnology, University of Nebraska – Lincoln Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska – Lincoln Department of Entomology, and University of Nebraska – Lincoln Department of Political Science.
David McAdams is a Professor of Business Administration at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. He is also a Professor of Economics in the Economics Department at Duke. He earned a B.S. in Applied Mathematics at Harvard University, an M.S. in Statistics from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Business from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Before joining the faculty at Duke, he was an Associate Professor of Applied Economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He has also worked as Special Assistant to the Director, Bureau of Economics, Federal Trade Commission.
Professor McAdams’ primary research interests are microeconomic theory and game theory, with a special focus on strategic interactions between buyers and sellers, including auctions, pricing, negotiations, and relationships. His work has been published in the leading journals of economics, including Econometrica, American Economic Review, Review of Economic Studies, Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Economic Theory, and Journal of Econometrics. Currently, he is an associate editor of the Journal of Economic Literature, International Journal of Industrial Organization, and International Journal of Game Theory.
Click here for the Powerpoint and audio of Professor McAdams’ presentation.
Contact information:
Tarik Abdel-Monem
University of Nebraska Public Policy Center
(402) 472-3147
tarik@unl.edu