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This article investigates European Union and International Monetary Fund influence on Hungary's public sector reforms in the period 2004–2013, that is, a time period that saw the initiation of the European Union's Excessive Deficit Procedure (the whole period) and an International Monetary Fund bailout programme (2008–2010). In this case, public sector reforms became derailed from the externally proposed trajectory and took the opposite direction: instead of fostering decentralization of the state administration and deepening the Europeanization process, Hungary's restructuring of the public sector delivered centralization and a 'power grab' that eventually impinged on some core values of the European Union 'constitution' (the acquis communautaire). This study aims to explain this empirical puzzle by in-depth analysis of how external influence was exerted and became interwoven with dynamically changing domestic factors in circumstances of conditionality. The research is framed by existing policy transfer and public sector reform theories. The article argues that the Hungarian case provides evidence of the unintended consequences of European Union-driven public sector reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multidimensional approach of territorial development is applied in the research. A composite indicator created for the present situation and named 'territorial development index' was adapted to the Hungarian historical data from 1910 on the LAU 2 level. The effects of the Trianon borders were observed on the basis of the comparative analysis of the historical and present development indices. The common methodological basis provided the opportunity to compare the outputs of the computations. Some of the underdeveloped areas along the present state border of Hungary have existed even before the demarcation of the Trianon borders (dominantly along the Eastern- Slovakian border, the Northern part of the Romanian border and along the Slovenian border). Large scale disparities existed at the beginning of the 20th century which decreased significantly by 2016. The general tendency of convergence influenced the border zones as well - both closing up to the Hungarian average and within-region convergence could be measured. Contrary to this, the geographical concentration of the most underdeveloped settlements (the lowest quantiles of the settlement ranking) became visible along the Eastern-Slovakian, the Ukrainian, the Romanian and the Croatian sections of the border zone. The former hinterlands of the large towns along the Hungarian-Romanian border tended to face negative tendencies in their development paths. The settlements in the border zone characteristically stepped forward along the Slovenian, Austrian and Western-Slovakian border sections. The results tended to draw the attention to the spatial polarization process because significant parts of the underdeveloped territories located along the borders did not exist prior to 1920. Furthermore, the increasing concentration of disadvantaged settlements in the border zone was not only the direct effect of the creation of the new state boundary but the cumulative result of multiple disadvantageous ongoing social processes. However, the border - undoubtedly - has had a significant role in the conservation and strengthening of the negative tendencies. At the same time, developed zones - more or less independently of the new borders - became more developed by 2016 (especially along the Western and North-western part of the state border). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hungary's post-Trianon economic situation is still discussed selectively in the literature on the subject, and the same applies to wider public discourse. Contemporary Hungarian surveys of the economic effects of the Trianon Peace Treaty focus on the loss of natural resources, implicitly assuming that raw materials and other natural resources are the main drivers of economic growth. However, based on the traditional interpretation of Trianon's economic consequences, we cannot explain some basic facts of economic history. As the study demonstrates, Hungary's post- Trianon economic performance was not inferior in international comparison to the relative performance observed during the period of dualism. Thus, in the medium and long term, the peace treaty did not have nearly as negative an economic impact as is commonly proposed. One of the main reasons for this is that natural resources were no longer key determinants of economic growth between the two world wars, but rather were structural changes in the economy, technological advances, and human capital that were less affected by the peace treaty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the consequences of unequal economic conditions on national election results? In this study, we use extraordinarily granular economic data measured without sampling error to assess how variation in local economic conditions across 3152 settlements affects incumbent support across the two most recent Hungarian elections. In addition, we use 95 monthly surveys capturing vote intention for nearly 100,000 respondents to assess possible individual level mechanisms. We find that the local economic milieu has a substantial effect on incumbent support, and that this effect was especially pronounced in the 2010 election that coincided with the peak of the Great Recession. Our micro-level analyses support these findings and suggest that the effect of local unemployment is unlikely to be explained by an aggregation of dissatisfaction among the unemployed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though Germany, Austria, and Hungary experienced a major financial crisis simultaneously in 1931, of the three, only Germany's and Austria's episodes have been investigated in depth. This article offers a thorough assessment of the missing piece. It finds that, just like Germany, Hungary also experienced a twin crisis. The primary reason for the weakness of the financial sector was banks' excessive exposure to agricultural loans. The fragility of the currency was the result of an early balance‐of‐payments crisis in 1928/9. The vulnerability of the banking and monetary systems culminated in a twin crisis in 1931. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2013 Hungary introduced large scale targeted employers' social security contribution cuts for the young, old, lowskilled, and other marginally attached workforce, called the Job Protection Act. In this paper I estimate the employment effects of the programme for the main target groups using the discontinuities in the JPA's design in a differences in differences framework on administrative datasources. My estimates show robust and economically significant employment effects for the Job Protection Act, a total 1.2 point increase in employment rate three years after the introduction. The Job Protection Act was highly effective in the young and low-skilled target groups, with high self-financing ratios, while it was only marginally effective in the old target group. The results suggests that targeted tax incentives can be a cost-efficient way of increasing employment in vulnerable groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents new estimates for investment and new growth accounts for three socialist economies between 1950 and 1989. Government statistics reported distorted measures for both the rate and the trajectory of productivity growth in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland. Researchers have benefited from revised output data, but have continued to use official statistics on capital input, or estimated capital stock from official investment data. Investment levels and rates of capital accumulation were much lower than officially claimed and over‐reporting worsened over time. A setback in factor accumulation—both investment in equipment and labour input—contributed very significantly to the socialist growth failure of the 1980s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In my paper I intend to present two big and important economic crises of the modern age Hungary, their beginning, their emergence, their reasons, their course, their influence and their importance. I write about the treatment experiments of the financial crises, about the changes of Hungarian financial institutions. I survey the effect of the banks to the Hungarian economy. The appearance of a new phenomenon is very important at this time in Hungary. This is cash economy. I analyse the two ages separately, but I describe the events in parallel. At first I am dealing with the international economic events and after from big to small I am analysing the Hungarian economy in the two ages. In this study the central factors are the Hungarian banks, their emergence, their development, their prosperity and later on, their survival experiments in the crises. I analyze the stages of the emergence of financial crises in the two periods, comparing their similarities and differences. Besides, I explain about the position of the finance in Hungary and about the appearing speculation. I show you also the dangers of speculation. I mention the question of silver and gold and the big boom of the railway building at the last quarter of the XIX. century. Shortly I present the reasons of the uplift after the Austro-Hungarian compromise, I introduce the economic consequences of the tragical Trianon peace treaty and the financial prosperity after the middle of the 1920-s. I would like to portray what enormous impact the financial institutions have in modern times in modern states and how money can change everything in a capitalist world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This analysis of British Ostpolitik focuses on Margaret Thatcher's diplomacy, exploring her quietly pragmatic efforts to bring about a gradual transformation of Eastern Europe at the cost of supporting selected communist regimes. The analysis reveals how a market-oriented economic experiment in Budapest first sparked the prime minister's interest in Hungary and inspired her foreign policy in Eastern Europe. It documents the British search for a socialist transition 'model', which led to unprecedented diplomatic overtures towards a small enemy state on the brink of bankruptcy. Based on extensive archival research in Budapest and London, as well as on the personal recollections of three senior British diplomats, this case study challenges some of the common assumptions of the historical literature about Thatcher's chosen method of combating communism and Britain's long-term strategy towards the Eastern bloc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to Cas Mudde, we live in a "populist Zeitgeist". The paper argues that not just the 21st, but also the 20th century is about populism. In the fi rst section I elaborate the theoretical background of populism, which is claimed to be a never-ending phenomenon: here, various notions of populism are analysed; I investigate the relationship between democracy and populism; and I refer to the biopolitical framework of populism (called biopopulism) as well. This theoretical framework will be used to analyse Communist populism in Hungary. I elaborate the populism of the Horthyera (1920-1944) in the context of Communist populism. Then I analyse the case of Communist populism in Hungary (1948-1989) according to the following aspects: in the context of the working class and the bourgeois elite; the biopolitical character of the regime; goulash Communism as populist legitimacy; and the viewpoint of socialist patriotism. The main aspect of Communist populism is summarized at the end of the third section, and I briefl y refer to the afterlife of Communist populism as a nostalgic phenomenon. The regimes analysed in this study aimed to govern the entire life of the citizens, which is why biopopulism is a useful analytical concept. The biopopulist framework shows that the investigation of the historical backgrounds of populism is necessary to understand contemporary populist tendencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of public ownership after 2008 occurred in many European countries as a crisis-management tool. Is the new wave of Hungarian nationalisation a part of this general trend or a component of a unique, ‘unorthodox’ economic policy? The article sums up the main features of recent European nationalisation and reveals similarities and differences in this context. It argues that although current ownership changes in Hungary are outwardly consistent with those that have occurred in other European countries (and in the United States), they in fact reflect the particular agenda of the post-2010 Orbán government. The key peculiarity of the recent Hungarian nationalisations is their embeddedness in a complex system of political and economic changes rather than being aimed at short-term crisis management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the economic relationships between multinational business enterprises and eastern European socialist countries including Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Romania. The authors focus on ways in which the marketing discipline contributes to the aforementioned business relationships. They also recommend ways in which the business relationships can be improved upon. Economic growth strategies and reforms designed to promote industrial efficiency and the development of technological innovations are also discussed.

Drawing on institutional theory, this article considers some of the ways the Hungarian state shapes the organizational structure and behavior of agricultural cooperatives. Fragmentation in the structure of state decision making is hypothesized as leading to (1) more elaborate interorganizational networks; (2) greater competition among similar organizations; and (3) larger administrative components. Analysis of survey data from the managers of cooperatives provides evidence supporting the hypotheses about networks and competition but contradicting the hypothesis about administrative overhead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates socioeconomic peripherality in Hungary and Czechia. Despite the current attention devoted to peripheries in post-communist societies, the authors argue that there is a lack of data-driven international comparisons of the socio-spatial outcomes of peripheralisation processes. In the study, the situations in Hungary and Czechia are compared to assess the validity of peripheralisation as a mutually reinforcing economic, social and demographic decline specifically affecting rural areas. First, the concentration of social problems such as unemployment and poverty is examined in economically weak rural areas. Second, the role of transport accessibility and remoteness is analysed. Third, the links between socioeconomic peripheralisation and population development are explored. The results indicate basic structural similarities in the development of peripherality in Czechia and Hungary; however, the Hungarian case corresponds much more than the Czech case to the concept of peripheralisation defined as interrelated processes of economic problems, the accumulation of poverty and social exclusion, and population shrinkage that especially affect remote rural localities. The authors conclude by discussing the role of historically shaped settlement structures, current population compositions, and overall development at the country level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the history of the economic mechanism in Hungary. It talks about the pricing policies and how the Marxists hope for political reform to arrive after economic reforms. It discusses the idea of socialism bearing a human face. It discusses the aspects of pluralism, along with institutionalisation of personal liberties.

This study is intended to demonstrate how Schoenmaker's financial trilemma and the Mundell-Fleming monetary trilemma took hold in Hungarian economic history between 1867 and 1938 - an era divided into five distinct periods-; in other words, which factors enjoyed priority over others in the individual periods. We also intend to detect the existence of any trade-off between the two trilemmas and to pinpoint the area in which it took place, while also attempting to identify shifts within the individual trilemmas. Each element of the trilemmas is presented separately, including the interaction between them. According to our results, a trade-off could be observed within the monetary trilemma during the years of consolidation under the Bethlen government and in the period of the economic crisis, while it was during the Bethlen consolidation that there was a trade-off between the trilemmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a project based on the complex case management model aimed at improving the labour market position of permanently unemployed clients. The aim of the case management is to improve the employee skills and capabilities of the clients in order to assist them in getting a job on the open labor market. The model builds on fast, action-oriented interventions, and the principle of the voluntary participation of clients. The process is time-limited, which the goal of reaching certain developmental objectives during a defined time period. We present a case study as an example of this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was fifty years ago, in 1968 that the "Prague spring", an experiment to create "Socialism with a human face" was born in Czechoslovakia. Through the documents of Hungarian radio broadcasts, this study will trace the most significant events of the reform movement led by Alexander Dubček. The broadcast information, in its various programs, was almost invariably based on the reports of TASS, the Soviet Telegraph Agency and MTI, the Hungarian News Agency. However, the news actually aired was often re-shaped and augmented by the editors. The radio broadcasts were careful in dealing with the role of party leaders, such as of Janos Kadar. The Czechoslovakian situation remained the principle topic of the Hungarian political and public life for several months, especially in connection with the introduction of the "new economic reform" in Hungary. In the radio, the editors kept avoiding any reference to any similarity between the "Prague Spring" and the new Hungarian economic reform. The goal of the silence was to protect the Hungarian reform from interference from Moscow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban renewal and inner city regeneration though are considered as necessary for progress and development often share stakeholders, especially communities, residents in the area concerned. Regardless of the stage of a project, involving stakeholders in the planning and implementation and distributing the appropriate information can create a supporting environment for the investment. Some authors also believe that community participation, although might be problematic, generally contributes to the success of the project. This paper presents the results of a research that analyses the attitude of the community towards urban renewal projects. In our quantitative research we map the most common problems that usually arise during each urban development project, and grouped the respondents based on their attitude toward such investments. The article closes with recommendations for communication and collaboration strategies tailored to the individual characteristics of the above groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a case study, providing a possible interpretation of the current Hungarian financial-legal culture. How to apply those terms and conditions in long-term loan agreements in financial crisis, which are favourable or seemingly irrelevant in good times but turn out to be disadvantageous, sometimes even disastrous in bad times. How to calculate and allocate risks, what is acceptable and what is foreseeable to laymen? The focus here is on the laymen attitudes towards long-term contractual obligations and performances in the global financial crisis: whether debtor's contractual obligations must be fulfilled, what should be construed as an excuse for non-performance, whether there should be measures designed to protect the debtors more, if yes, at whose expense - the creditors (rather preventive measures) or the taxpayers (rather restitutive measures) -, if no, how to allocate ideally the risks and liabilities, is profit-making an evil per se, that needs to be managed?. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of social business is very attractive for scientists, because it enables solving both economic and social problems, it improves human life and society. Nevertheless, there is no universal definition of social entrepreneurship, social enterprise or social business, in general and in Hungary in particular. The idea is new in Hungary, but it is developing very rapidly. This paper clarifies the concept of social entrepreneurship, its legal aspects and the role it plays in society in general. Based on this theoretical foundation, it analyses the issue of social entrepreneurship in Hungary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stakeholder participation in nature conservation policies and especially in the management of protected areas has gained importance in the last decades. These changes are underlined by democratic principles and the perceived contribution of stakeholder involvement to the effectiveness of conservation management. Evaluating participatory processes is essential to learn about the past and thus increase the quality of future processes. The evaluation can be useful for the organisations responsible for planning and management, stakeholders and policy makers as well. The present paper shows the results of a systematic evaluation of 25 participatory processes related to the development of management plans for Natura 2000 sites in Hungary between 2007 and 2015. A conceptual framework was developed to evaluate the process and outcome of participatory management planning processes. Criteria were based on the scientific literature on public participation and tailored to conservation-related management planning and stakeholder involvement. Evaluated processes were grouped in three cases based on their time range and financial sources. Overall, the analysed processes scored at a medium level, showing better performance in the process criteria than in the outcome criteria. The best case scored significantly higher in four criteria compared to the other cases: representativeness, resource availability for facilitation, new, creative ideas and impact on the plan. The main factors behind the success were (1) embeddedness of the planning process in a larger project, where the plan was a tool for conservation, (2) carrying out only one process at a time, (3) previous experience of facilitators and planners with participatory planning and (4) the opportunity and capacity to propose a payment scheme as an incentive. But even this case received low scores in some criteria: conflict resolution, early involvement and well defined goals. Based on the results we suggest that more data is needed to evaluate the implementation of the plans and, in many cases, the impact of the process on the plan. Performance can be improved with the assistance of policy makers by further developing guidelines, harmonising payment schemes with the conservation measures of the plans and providing training on conflict resolution. The evaluation framework proved to be suitable for the assessment of a large set of conservation related management planning processes, but it also had some limitations, e.g. concerning the incorporation of stakeholders' views in the evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavily indebted countries - such as Hungary with rapidly accumulating public debt during the 2000s - enjoy significant room for manoeuvre if they can save on their debt rate. On the other hand, the dependence of small, open economies on global economy renders their economic policy vulnerable. It has been observed in numerous areas that when the US "sneezes", emerging economies "catch a cold". Using a sample of eleven countries - including Hungary - this paper is intended to test, in a changed global economic environment, the repeatedly validated assumption that the Fed's federal funds rate has an impact on the government debt rate of emerging economies. We use regression and causality analyses in the context of international interest rate transmission to study the determination. In addition to verifying the presence of interest rate transmission, we also found that the impact is different for different spatial and time horizons and it may even cease to exist in extreme circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]