**Max Spoor is Emeritus Professor of Development Studies, associated with the Political Ecology (PE) research group of ISS, which includes thematic areas of agrarian, food and environmental studies as well as social policy in international development.** His research is related to rural and environmental issues, such as land grabbing, access to water resources, poverty, and inequality, and social exclusion. This research is geographically focused on Asian transitional economies such as China, Vietnam and the countries in Central and Eastern Europe (in particular former Soviet Central Asia), while he continues to do research in Latin America and the Caribbean (in particular Cuba and Nicaragua). See for further information about the Research Programme ["Political Ecology"][Political Ecology] (PE) [Political Ecology]: https://www.iss.nl/en/research/research-groups/political-ecology