John Tilton and RFF: a case of mutual admiration
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ORIGINAL PAPER
John Tilton and RFF: a case of mutual admiration Joel Darmstadter 1 Received: 5 October 2018 / Accepted: 25 February 2019 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract In recognition of a special issue of Mineral Economics, honoring John Tilton on his 80th birthday, I review the many collaborative activities between John and my own institution (Resources for the Future or RFF). Most notable in our joint relationship was the publication of numerous books, monographs, and articles co-authored by John alone as well as co-authored or co-edited, frequently with RFF’s Hans Landsberg. Many of these publications, I would argue, have achieved top ranking in the field of mineral economics. To illustrate one of the numerous RFF-Tilton joint research interests, I cite the emerging concern with externalities. Keywords Collaborative research . Technology . Scarcity . Externality
Beginnings Not the least gratifying aspect of my connection with John Tilton derives from the fact that a healthy portion of the lengthy time-span honored in these articles involved close and productive collaboration between himself and my own institution, Resources for the Future (RFF). The start of that relationship—which grew steadily in terms of both common academic interests and close personal feelings—dates from nearly 40 years ago with the launching, in the early-1980s, of a decade-long joint research initiative between Penn State University and RFF. Referred to as the Mineral Economics and Policy program, the effort was directed, on the RFF side, by Hans Landsberg, at Penn State; it came to be singularly identified with the name and rapidly emerging reputation of John Tilton. During the program’s tenure, and apart from numerous periodical and working-paper releases, it produced seven full-length books. Besides RFF and Penn State, supporting roles came from the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria and Colorado School of Mines (CSM), which John joined in 1985. It would not be an exaggeration to claim that the teamwork of John and Hans—frequently supported, of course, by
* Joel Darmstadter [email protected] 1
Retired/Senior Fellow Emeritus, Resources for the Future, Washington, DC, USA
researchers at each institution—served to solidify Hans’ standing as a widely respected resource economist and, in the case of John, signaled a career progressively reflective of fundamental contributions to mineral economics, whether from the vantage point of conceptual, empirical, or policy analysis. And it was an intellectual partnership that endured beyond John’s move to the CSM and—even with Hans’ death (in 2000)—left its mark to the present day. The synergistic linkage between John and RFF progressed in multiple ways. John’s frequent presence on the RFF premises—as a University Fellow, visiting scholar, workshop participant, lecturer—was sufficient to promise a remarkably durable relationship. But it was the astounding publication record that came to be an integral part of that it
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