Maurel Marie-Claude

Marie-Claude Maurel is a Professor of Geography at the School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS, Paris). She is affiliated with the Centre d’études des mondes russe, caucasien et centre-européen (CERCEC), a joint CNRS/EHESS research unit. Her career spans roles as Director of the Institut Universitaire de France (2010-2013) and the French Research Center in Social Sciences (CEFRES) (2006-2010), alongside leadership at the CNRS (1997-2001) and academic positions at Paul Valery University, Montpellier (1970-1997).

Research Interests:

• Post-socialist rural transformation in Central/Eastern Europe
• Agrarian decollectivization and land ownership changes
• Local governance and administrative reforms
• EU rural development models (e.g., LEADER program)
• Historical geography of Soviet collective agriculture

Scientific Awards & Memberships:

• Bronze Medal of the CNRS (1990)
• Prize of the Geographic Society, Paris (1995)
• Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite (1996)
• Junior Member of Institut universitaire de France (1991-1996)
• Senior Fellow at Collegium Budapest (2005)
• Full Member, French Academy for Agriculture (2016)

Publications: She has authored a dozen books and over a hundred articles, focusing on agrarian structure changes, local governance, and EU rural development models in Central/Eastern Europe. Her work spans from early studies on Soviet collective agriculture (1994) to recent analyses of post-decollectivization land regimes (2018).