Zvi Lerman

Department of Agricultural Economics and Management, Faculty of Agriculture, The Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel

Home address: 57 Ha'Alon Street, Har-Adar 90836, Israel

Telephone +972-2-5701481 --- Fax +972-2-5701686, +972-8-9466267 --- E-mail LERMAN@AGRI.HUJI.AC.IL

Research Activities and Surveys in the Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe

Agricultural sector review work for the World Bank (Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania)
Farm restructuring in Nizhnii Novgorod Province, Russia (IFC, USAID, and UK Know-How Fund, 1992-1994)
Land reform and farm restructuring surveys in the former Soviet Union (Russia, Ukraine, 1992-1994)
Land reform and farm transformation surveys in Eastern and Central European countries (1992-1993)
Survey of the performance of reorganized farm enterprises and private farms in Ukraine (1995-1996)
Land reform and farm restructuring surveys in Georgia and Armenia (1996)
Survey of family farms and farmers associations in Romania (1996-1997)
Survey of large private farms in Georgia (1996-1997)
Land reform and farm restructuring survey in Moldova (1997)
Land reform and emergence of leasehold farming in Turkmenistan (1997-1998)
Overview of Farm Restructuring Experiences in Ukraine (1998-1999)
Farm Restructuring in Belarus (1998-1999)
Farm Debt in CIS: A Cross-Country Analysis (1999-2000)
Land Policies in Poland (1999-2000)
Emergence of new farming structures in Moldova (2000-2001)
Land and water policies in Turkmenistan (2000-2003)
Food and agriculture in the Slovak Republic (2002)
Food and agriculture in Romania (2003)
Agrarian reforms and factor markets in Russia (2001-2004)
Ukraine after 2000: impact of policy reforms on farm performance and rural incomes (2004-2005)
Impact of policy reforms on agricultural productivity in Moldava (2005)
Tajikistan: farm survey to study the economic impacts of land reform (2006-2008)
Azerbaijan review of agricultural polic8ies (2006-2007)
Russia: non-agricultural employment of rural populaton - survey-based study (2006-2007)
Uzbekistan: farm and livestock reforms (2007-2008).

Recent Publications on Agriculture in Transition Economies

Rural Economies in Transition Series (www.lexingtonbooks.com)

Z. Lerman and A. Mirzakhanian, Private Agriculture in Armenia, Lexington Books, Lanham, MD (2001).
Z. Lerman, C. Csaki, and G. Feder, Agriculture in Transition: Land Policies and Evolving Farm Structures in Post-Soviet Countries, Lexington Books, Lanham, MD (2004).
Z. Lerman, ed., Russia's Agriculture in Transition: Factor Markets and Constraints on Growth, Lexington Books, Lanham, MD (2008).

FAO Transition Studies: Europe and Central Asia Region

Z. Lerman, D. Sedik, N. Pugachov, and A. Goncharuk, Rethinking Agricultural Reform in Ukraina, IAMO-Leibhiz Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eatern Europe, Halle, Germany (2007). (PDF)
Z. Lerman, D. Sedik, N. Pugachov, and A. Goncharuk, Agricultural Reforms in Ukraine Achievements and Prospects (Reformirovanie sel'skogo khozyaistva u Ukraine: itogi i perspektivy), FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, Rome (2007). [in Russian] (PDF)

World Bank Discussion Papers/Technical Papers Series (available through bookstores)

K. Brooks and Z. Lerman, Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Russia , World Bank Discussion Paper 233, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (1994), 104 pp.
Z. Lerman, K. Brooks, and C. Csaki, Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Ukraine, World Bank Discussion Paper 270, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (1994), 124 pp
K. Brooks, E. Krylatykh, Z. Lerman, A. Petrikov, and V. Uzun, Agricultural Reform in Russia: A View from the Farm Level, World Bank Discussion Paper 327, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (1996), 98 pp.
Z. Lerman and C. Csaki, Land Reform in Ukraine: The First Five Years , The World Bank, World Bank Discussion Paper 371, Washington, D.C. (1997), 120 pp.
Z. Lerman, C. Csaki, and V. Moroz, Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Moldova: Progress and Prospects, World Bank Discussion Paper 398, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (1998), 120 pp.
Z. Lerman and C. Csaki, Ukraine: Review of Farm Restructuring Experience , World Bank Technical Paper 459, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (2000), 75 pp.
C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, eds., Structural Change in the Farming Sectors in Central and Eastern Europe, World Bank Technical Paper 465, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (2000), 270 pp..
C. Csaki, Z. Lerman, and S. Sotnikov, Farm Sector Restructuring in Belarus: Progress and Constraints, World Bank Technical Paper 475, The World Bank Washington, D.C. (2000), 140 pp.
C. Csaki, Z. Lerman, and S. Sotnikov, Farm Debt in CIS: A Cross-Country Analysis, World Bank Discussion Paper 424, The World Bank, Washington, DC (2001), 140 pp.
Z. Lerman and K. Brooks, Turkmenistan: An Assessment of Leasehold-Based Farm Restructuring, World Bank Technical Paper 500, The World Bank, Washington, DC (2001).
C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, eds., The Challenge of Rural Development in the EU Accession Countries, World Bank Technical Paper 504, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (2001), 235 pp.
C. Csaki, A. Nuciforca, Z. Lerman, and T. Herzfeld, Food and Agriculture in the Slovak Republic: The Challenges of EU Accession, Agriculture & Rural Development Working Paper 4, The World Bank, Washington, DC (2003), 176 pp.

World Bank Agriculture Policy Notes (download pdf files)

Land Reform and Private Farms in Georgia: 1996 Status , EC4NR Agriculture Policy Note No. 6, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (October 1996), 36 pp.(PDF).
Land Reform and Private Farms in Armenia: 1996 Status , EC4NR Agriculture Policy Note No. 8, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (November 1996), 40 pp. (PDF).
Hungarian Land Reform and Farm Restructuring , EC2AU Agriculture Policy Note, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (January 1997), 40 pp.(PDF).
Land Reform and Private Farming in Moldova , EC4NR Agriculture Policy Note No. 9, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (January 1997). (PDF)

Chapters in Books

C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, "Land Reform and the Future Role of Cooperatives in Agriculture in the Former Socialist Countries in Europe," in: C. Csaki and Y. Kislev, eds., Agricultural Cooperatives in Transition, Westview Press, Boulder, CO (1993), pp. 3-19.
K. Brooks and Z. Lerman, "Restructuring of Socialized Farms and New Land Relations in Russia," in: D. Umali-Deininger and C. Maguire, eds., Agriculture in Liberalizing Economies: Changing Roles for Governments, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (1995), pp. 145-172.
Z. Lerman, "Changing Land Relations and Farming Structures in Formerly Socialist Countries," in: G. Wunderlich, ed., Agricultural Landownership in Transitional Economies, University Press of America, Lanham, MD (1995), pp. 54-81.
Z. Lerman, "Agriculture in Transition: Land Reform in Former Socialist Countries," in: Yair Mundlak, ed., Contemporary Economic Issues, vol. 2, Gender, Poverty and Food, Macmillan, London (1998), pp. 193-209.
Z. Lerman, "Experience with land reform and farm restructuring in the Former Soviet Union," in: J. Swinnen, A. Buckwell, and E. Mathijs eds., Agricultural Privatisation, Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Central and Eastern Europe , Chapter 9, Ashgate, Aldershot, UK (1997), pp. 311-332.
Z. Lerman and K. Brooks, "Land Reform in Turkmenistan," in: Wegren, S. (Ed.), Land Reform in the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe , Routledge, London-New York (1998), pp. 162-185.
Z. Lerman, "Land Reform in Uzbekistan," in: Wegren, S. (Ed.), Land Reform in the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Routledge, London-New York (1998), pp. 136-161.
C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, "Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Hungary in the 1990s," in: Wegren, S. (Ed.), Land Reform in the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Routledge, London-New York (1998), pp. 224-261.
Z. Lerman, “From Commonality to Divergence: How ECE and CIS Agricultures are Drifting Apart,” in: P. Tillack and E Schulze, eds., Land Ownership, Land Markets and Their Influence on the Efficiency of Agricultural Production in Central and Eastern Europe, IAMO – Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe, Halle and Vauk, Kiel (2000), pp. 56-69.
Z. Lerman, “Status of Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in CEE: A Regional Overview,” in: C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, eds., Structural Change in the Farming Sectors of Central and Eastern Europe, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (2000), pp. 3-21. C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, “Farm Debt in the CIS: Multi-Country Study of Major Causes and Proposed Solutions,” Agricultural Finance and Credit Infrastructure in Transition Economies: Focus on the South East Europe Region, OECD, Paris (2001), pp. 87-104.
Z. Lerman, “The Impact of Land Reform on the Rural Population in Russia,” in: D. O’Brien and S. Wegren, eds., Adaptation and Change in Rural Russia , Woodrow Wilson Press and Johns Hopkins University Press, Washington, DC (2002).
Z. Lerman, "A Decade of Transition in Europe and Central Asia: Design and Impact of Land Reform," in: Max Spoor, ed., Transition, Institutions, and the Rural Sector, Lexington Books, Lanham, MD (2003), pp. 5-25.
Z. Lerman," Institutions and Technologies for Subsistence Agriculture: How to Increase Commercialization," in: S. Abele and K. Frohberg, eds., Subsistence Agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe: How to Break the Vicious Circle?, Studies on the Agricultural and Food Sector in Central and Eastern Europe, Vol. 22, IAMO, Halle (2003).
Z. Lerman, "Successful Land Individualization in Trans-Caucasia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia," in: D. Macey, W. Pyle, and S. Wegren, eds., Building Market Institutions in Post-Communist Agriculture: Land, Credit, and Assistance, Lexington Books, Lanham, MD (2004), pp. 53-75.
Z. Lerman and N. Shagaida, "Land Reform and Development of Agricultural Land Markets in Russia," in: S. Brosig and H. Hockmann, eds., How Effective is the Invisible Hand? Agricultural and Food Markets in Central and Eastern Europe, Studies on the Agricultural and Food Sector in Central and Eastern Europe, Vol. 31, IAMO - Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe, Halle (2005), pp. 269-302.
Z. Lerman and I. Stanchin, “Agrarian Reform in Turkmenistan,” in: S. Babu and S. Djalalov, eds., Policy Reforms and Agriculture Development in Central Asia, Springer, New York (2006), pp. 221-236.
Z. Lerman and D. Cimpoies, “Duality of Farm Structure in Transition Agriculture: The Case of Moldova,” in: J. Curtiss, A. Balmann, K. Dautzenberg, and K. Happe, Agriculture in the Face of Changing Markets, Institutions and Policies, Studies on the Agricultural and Food Sector in Central and Eastern Europe, Vol. 33, IAMO – Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Easter Europe, Halle (2006), pp. 105-119.
I. Stanchin and Z. Lerman, “Water in Turkmenistan,” in: M. Spoor and M. Arsel, eds., The Last Drop: Water, Security, and Sustainable Development in Central Eurasia, Routledge, London (2008).

Journal Articles

C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, "Land Reform and Farm Sector Restructuring in the Former Soviet Union and Russia," Aula: Society and Economy, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 7-22 (1993).
K. Brooks and Z. Lerman, "Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Russia: 1992 Status," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 75, pp. 1254-1259 (December 1993).
C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, "Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in the Former Socialist Countries in Europe," European Review of Agricultural Economics , Vol. 21, No. 3/4, pp. 553-576 (1994).
K. Brooks and Z. Lerman, "Farm Reform in the Transition Economies," Finance and Development, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 25-28 (December 1994).
Z. Lerman, Ye. Tankhilevich, K. Mozhin, and N. Sapova, "Self-Sustainability of Subsidiary Household Plots: Lessons for Privatization of Agriculture in Former Socialist Countries," Post-Soviet Geography, Vol. 35, No. 9, pp. 526-542 (November 1994).
K. Brooks and Z. Lerman, "Restructuring of Traditional Farms and New Land Relations in Russia," Agricultural Economics, Vol. 13, pp. 11-25 (November 1995).
Z. Lerman, K. Brooks, and C. Csaki, "Restructuring of Traditional Farms and New Land Relations in Ukraine," Agricultural Economics, Vol. 13, pp. 27-37 (November 1995).
Z. Lerman, J. Garcia-Garcia, and D. Wichelns, "Land and Water Policies in Uzbekistan," Post-Soviet Geography and Economics, Vol. 37, No. 3, pp. 145-174 (March 1996).
Z. Lerman and K. Brooks, "Russia's Legal Framework for Land Reform and Farm Restructuring," Problems of Post-Communism Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 48-58 (November-December 1996).
C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, "Agricultural Transition Revisited: Issues of Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in East Central Europe and the Former USSR," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 211-240 (July-September 1996).
C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, "Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in East Central Europe and the CIS in the 1990s: Expectations and Achievements after Five Years," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 24, No. 3/4 (September-October 1997, forthcoming).
C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, "Land Reform in Ukraine: Slow Progress," Society and Economy in Central and Eastern Europe, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 46-70 (1997).
Z. Lerman, "Does Land Reform Matter? Some Experiences from the Former Soviet Union," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp.307-330 (September 1998).
Z. Lerman, "Land Reform and Farm Restructuring: What Has Been Accomplished to Date?" American Economic Review, Vol. 89, No. 2 (May 1999).
Z. Lerman, “Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Ukraine,” Problems of Post-Communism, Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 42-55 (May/June 1999).
Z. Lerman, “From Common Heritage to Divergence: Why the Transition Countries are Drifting Apart by Measures of Agricultural Performance,” American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vo. 82, No. 5, pp. 1140-1148 (2000).
C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, “Agrarian Reform in Belarus: What Has Been Achieved After a Decade of Gradualism,” Quarterly Journal of International Economics , Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 237-260 (2000).
C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, “Farm Restructuring in Ukraine: Policies to Revive the Agricultural Sector,” Policy Studies , No. 15, pp. 16-24 (January 2001).
Z. Lerman, “A Decade of Land Reform and Farm Restructuring: What Russia Can Learn from the World Experience,” Quarterly Journal of International Economics , Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 3-26 (2001).
Z. Lerman, “Agriculture in Transition Economies: From Common Heritage to Divergence,” Agricultural Economics , Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 95-114 (November 2001).
C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, “Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Moldova: A Real Breakthrough?” Problems of Post-Communism, Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 42-52 (January-February 2002).
Z. Lerman, "Agriculture in Transition Economies: From Common Heritage to Divergence," Agricultural Economics, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 95-114 (November 2001).
C. Csaki and Z. Lerman, “Land and Farm Structure in Poland: The Case of Poland," Eurasian Geography and Economics, Vol. 43, No. 4, pp. 305-322 (2002).
Z. Lerman, C. Csaki, and G. Feder, "Land Policies and Evolving Farm Structures in Transition Countries," Transition Newsletter, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 5-9 (March-April 2002).
Z. Lerman, "Privatization of Land in Russia," Economic Systems, Vol. 26, pp. 149-151 (2002).
C. Csaki, Z. Lerman, A. Nucifora, and G. Blaas, "The Agricultural Sector of Slovakia on the Eve of EU Accession," Eurasian Geography and Economics, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 305-320 (2003).
Z. Lerman, Y. Kislev, A. Kriss, and D. Biton, "Agricultural Output and Productivity in the Former Soviet Republics," Economic Development and Cultural Change, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 999-1018 (2003).
Z. Lernan and I. Stanchin, "Institutional Changes in Turkmenistan's Agriculture: Impacts on Productivity and Rural Incomes," Eurasian Geography and Economics, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 60-72 (2004).
Z. Lerman, "Policies and Institutions for Commercialization of Subsistence Farms in Transition Countries, "Journal of Asian Economics, Vol. 15, pp. 46-479 (June 2004).
Z. Lerman, C. Csaki, and G. Feder, "Evolving Farm Structures and Land Use Patterns in Former Socialist Countries," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Vol. 43, No. 4 (2004).
D. Bezemer and Z. Lerman, "Rural Livelihoods in Armenia," Post-Communist Economies, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 333-348 (September 2004).
M. Grazhdaninova and Z. Lerman, "Allocative and Technical Efficiency of Corporate Farms in Russia," Comparative Economic Studies, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 200-213 (March 2005).
R. Ruben and Z. Lerman, "Why Nicaraguan Peasants Stay in Agricultural Cooperatives," European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Vol. 78, pp. 3-19 (April 2005).
W. Liefert, Z. Lerman, B. Gardner, and E. Serova, “Agricultural Labor in Russia: Efficiency and Profitability,” Review of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 412-417 (September 2005).
Z. Lerman and P. Schreinemachers, “Individual Farming as a Labor Sink: Evidence from Poland and Russia,” Comparative Economic Studies, Vol. 47 No. 4, pp. 675-695 (December 2005).
Z. Lerman and D. Cimpoies, “Land Consolidation as a Factor for Rural Development in Moldova,” Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 58, No. 3, pp. 439-455 (May 2006).
Z. Lerman, “The Impact of Land Reform on Rural Household Incomes in the Southern Caucasus,” Eurasian Geography and Economics,Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 112-123 (2006).
Z. Lerman and N. Shagaida, “Land Policies and Agricultural Land Markets in Russia,” Land Use Policy, Vol. 24, pp. 14-23 (2006).
B. Gardner and Z. Lerman, “Agricultural Cooperative Enterprise in the Transition from Socialist Collective Farming,” Journal of Rural Cooperation, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 1-18 (2006).
I. Kan, A. Kimhi, and Z. Lerman, “Farm Output, Non-Farm Income, and Commercialization in Rural Georgia,” eJade –The Electronic Journal of Agricultural and Development Economics, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 276-286 (2006) [http://www.fao.org/es/esa/en/ejade.htm]
Z. Lerman, E. Serova, and D. Zvyagintsev, “Diversification of Rural Incomes and Non-Farm Rural Employment: Survey Evidence from Russia,” The Journal of Peasant Studies, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 61-80 (2008).
Z. Lerman and W. Sutton, “Productivity and Efficiency of Small and Large Farms in Transition: Evidence from Moldova,” Post-Soviet Affairs (2008).

Publications in Russian (contact the author for copies or availability information)

P. T. Sabluk, C. Csaki, Z. Lerman, and a team of Ukrainian co-editors, Agricultural Transformation in Ukraine: Experience and Prospects , Proceedings of an International Economic Conference, Kiev, April 19-20, 1995, Ukrainian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Agricultural Economics, and Institute of Economics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev (1995), 144 pp.
Z. Lerman, K. Brooks, and C. Csaki, Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Ukraine, World Bank Discussion Paper 270R, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (1995), 148 pp.
K. Brooks, E. Krylatykh, Z. Lerman, and V. Uzun, "Agrarian Reform and Reorganization of Agricultural Enterprises in Russia," Agrarian Science, pp. 6-12 (April 1994).
D. Epshtein and Z. Lerman, "Russian Agriculture during Transformation and Reform: The Case of Leningrad Province 1986-1993," APK: Ekonomika, Upravlenie , No. 12, pp. 44-48 (December 1995).
Z. Lerman, "Ukrainian farmers' view of land reform," in: P. Sabluk and others, eds., Agricultural Transformation in Ukraine: Experience and Prospects , Ukrainian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kiev (1995), pp. 27-32.
Z. Lerman and C. Csaki, Ukraine: Review of Farm Restructuring Experience , World Bank Technical Paper 459R, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (2000).
C. Csaki, Z. Lerman, and S. Sotnikov, Farm Sector Restructuring in Belarus: Progress and Constraints, World Bank Technical Paper 475R, The World Bank Washington, D.C. (2000).
Z. Lerman, “A Decade of Land Reform and Farm Restructuring: What Russia Can Learn from the World Experience,” Voprosy Ekonomiki, No. 8 (August 2001).
I. Stanchin and Z. Lerman, Agrarian Reform in Turkmenistan, Center for Agricultural Economic Research, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel (2003), 240 pp.
Z. Lerman and I. Stanchin, "Principles of land relations in developed market economies and possibilities of their adaptation to Turkmenistan," Altyn Asyr (The Economy of the Golden Age), No. 7(50), pp. 26-28 (August 2004).
M. Grazhdaninova and Z. Lerman, “Allocative and technical efficiency of corporate farms in Russia,” Voprosy Ekonomiki, No. 6, pp. 97-108 (June 2005).
Z. Lerman, D. Sedik, and N. Pugachov, “Evaluating the Impact of Reform on Agricultural Enterprises in Ukraine,” Ekonomika Ukrainy, No. 6(539), pp. 59-68 (June 2007).