Thomas Herzfeld

Thomas Herzfeld serves as Director of IAMO (Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies) and Professor of "Politics and Institutions in the Agricultural Sector" at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). He heads the Department of Agricultural Policy at IAMO and holds a co-opted professorship at MLU's Faculty of Law and Economics. His research spans agricultural policy analysis, institutional economics, and rural development across transition economies, with particular focus on Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Western Balkans.

Herzfeld's educational background includes:

• Doctorate in Agricultural Sciences from Kiel University (2004)
• Habilitation from Kiel University (2008)
• Studies in agricultural sciences specializing in economics and social sciences at Halle (Saale), Kiel, and Ecole national supérieure agronomique in Rennes, France

His research focuses on institutional change, corruption, and microeconometric analyses of rural households and consumers using panel data analysis and non-parametric methods. His work examines agricultural policy in post-Soviet countries with emphasis on land tenure, water management, migration effects, and trade integration. Methodologically, he combines institutional economics with rigorous empirical analysis of household and farm-level data across diverse transition contexts from Central Asia to Eastern Europe.

Herzfeld's publication record reveals a clear evolution toward analyzing complex systemic challenges: early work focused on micro-level household decisions during transition, while recent publications address climate-agriculture-migration interconnections, multidimensional poverty analysis, and institutional barriers to sustainable development. His research increasingly integrates quantitative methods with institutional analysis to examine how formal and informal institutions shape agricultural outcomes in transition economies, with particular attention to Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

His major research projects include:

• AG-ChangeRural – Changes in rural areas
• AG-InstitutionsNaturalResources – Institutional Economics of Natural Resources
• AGRICISTRADE – Agricultural and biomass trade in the Commonwealth of Independent States
• CARe – Resilience in rural communities in Central Asia
• SARS-CAC – Impact of COVID-19 on agriculture in Central Asia and Caucasus
• TRILEMMA – The agricultural policy trilemma in post-Soviet countries

Herzfeld has secured research funding from multiple sources including the German Research Foundation, EU programs, and international organizations like FAO. His policy-relevant research has informed agricultural development strategies in Moldova, Ukraine, and Central Asian countries. He actively mentors junior researchers and collaborates with institutions across Europe and Asia, contributing to capacity building through networks like SUSADICA (structured doctoral program for sustainable agricultural development in Central Asia).

His research teams focus on:

• Land use and tenure rights in transition countries
• Water management and agricultural production in Central Asia
• Migration and remittance effects on rural development in the Western Balkans
• EU integration challenges for agricultural sectors in Eastern Europe
• Policy analysis of agricultural subsidies and market interventions
• Institutional quality of meat markets in post-Soviet countries