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• The shift from Office to Customer Oriented Culture: the Case of the Hungarian Post: Liberalizáció és szervezeti változások a postai szektorban

  143-158

  Eva Farkas

  Maria Petrovics

  Views:

  269

  The case study is conducted within the framework of organizational change and organization innovation, and examines the changes in knowledge requirements and the alterations caused by the liberalization generated by the Magyar Posta Zrt. The study focuses on the transformation of official attitudes, the make up of the required knowledge and how organizational changes have facilitated the development of a customer-oriented organizational structure. Based on the interviews conducted, the conclusion is that the process of “providing service ex-officio” has not yet been completed, but the employees are increasingly becoming involved in a client-centred approach. On the management level the preservation of the hierarchy and the status quo have more importance than the expression of the new organizational values.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) classifications: D23, M14

• Galbraith néhány elfeledett mozaikja: John Kenneth Galbraith: Economics, Peace and Laughter. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1971, 382 oldal

  97-100

  Szabolcs Pásztor

  Views:

  153

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• A japán innovációs rendszer jogi és intézményi keretei

  118-132

  Istvan Molnar

  Views:

  102

• Human Capital and EU-Enlargement

  83-92

  Dietmar Meyer

  Views:

  98

  The enlargement of the European Union is an almost everywhere accepted necessity, but at the same time of course also a compromise. Economies or regions of different economic, social, institutional, etc. development become united in Europe with a territory from the Atlantic to the Eastern borders of Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. This integration process going along with the worldwide globalisation will imply a new distribution, or a redistribution of the factors of production. First of all the human capital will be touched by this development.2 One of the most important results found by social sciences in the 20th century is the realisation of the immense role played by human factors in the process of economic development. The extremely high efficiency of human capital and the high mobility could diminish the regional differences in the economic development and therefore in the social life. But even this is one reason for the mentioned re-allocation of the human capital. In the frame of a very simple static model (See e. g. Bishi – Kopel [2002]) the flow of human capital between different regions – called the European Union and the New Member States – will be analysed. The introduction of search costs extends the field of policy-analysis.

• Tőkepiacok nyolc új EU-tagországban – látszat- vagy valós fejlettség

  183-198

  Balazs Palosi-Nemeth

  Views:

  115

  A tanulmány arra keresi a választ, hogy mi az Európai Unióhoz frissen csatlakozott, volt tervgazdaságú nyolc ország tőkepiacának valós szerepe és lehetősége. A szerző bemutatja, hogy – bár a gazdasági növekedés szempontjából kívánatos a vegyes pénzügyi közvetítés, így a bankrendszer mellett a tőkepiac hatékony működése – a pénzügyi globalizáció hatásai miatt a vizsgált országok tőzsdéinek fejlődése nem lehet párhuzamos az általános intézményrendszer mélyülésével. A tanulmány a szabványosított piacok szerepének kiemelése mellett különböző alapvető stratégiákat is elemez.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) kód: F36, G14, G15

• Economics or economic science? A XX. század legfontosabb eredményei

  76-97

  Jozsef Moczar

  Views:

  173

  The fundamental question of this article is: wether the economics is science, and if it is, then can it be viewed as an independent science? The answer is looked for starting from the most
  important economic results of the last century. The author came to the conclusion that the mainstream economic theories of our days can be traced back to the works of Ramsey, Neumann and Haavelmo. The results of mathematics and natural sciences, especially physics greatly contributed to that it became science. All these are proven by means of Roy E. Weintraub’s so called historical reconstruction and Imre Lakatos’ rational reconstruction methods.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) classifications: B23, C10, C20

• Trust as a Cost Reducing Factor

  74-84

  Anett Hodosi

  Views:

  205

  The current study analyzes the cost reducing feature of one of the well-researched informal institutions, trust. The micro level analysis is followed by a macro level approach, which is aimed at highlighting trust’s direct cost reducing element via transaction costs and its indirect effect through the legal system. As part of the latter an empirical evaluation of 25 European Union countries has been carried out regarding the connection between costs due to administrative burden and trust. On the one hand academic economic literature proves that trust reduces transaction costs, and on the other hand that the effectiveness of the legal system contributes to the decrease of transaction costs. According to our assumption the increase of the level of trust improves the effectiveness of the legal system and via this
  mechanism it supports the reduction of transaction costs.

  JEL classification: D02, E02

• The improvement and the new manifestation of the Veblenian conspicuous consumption theory

  23-35

  Karmen Kovacs

  Views:

  418

  This paper focuses on how the Veblenian conspicuous consumption theory has been developed further by the theorists of modern economics. The connection between status, status goods and conspicuous consumption is underlined in the discussion. It is emphasized that the price has a multiple role, however, the hypothesized positive relation between price and quantity is not necessarily valid. The wide-ranging motivations and consequences of conspicuous consumption are also analyzed. Finally, the new features of conspicuous consumption are discussed, that is, instead of wasting money on goods, cultural capital and taste have become the core of conspicuous consumption, and instead of focusing on wealth, the contexts of income have become relevant.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) Codes: D11, Z13

• Egy kerek egész: Infokommunikáció Schumpetertől Natasáig: Bőgel György: Terepszemle. Tanulmányok és feljegyzések az infokommunikációs világról. Typotex Elektronikus Kiadó, Budapest, 2012, 299 oldal, 3000 Ft

  135-144

  Krisztina Franko

  Views:

  120

• The achievement of market orientation in SME’s – results of a cluster analysis

  22-45

  Enikő Kontor

  Balázs Nyul

  Views:

  165

  The aim of this study is to examine to what extent Hungarian SMEs adopt market orientation and what effect it has on their performance. The results of the examination show that the great proportion of SMEs do not adopt a market orientated approach. Among those that do, the effect of market orientation cannot be shown directly through objective indicators of their performance. At the same time it does have an indirect effect on efficiency, which can be observed over the long term. According to our results, the extent to which small and medium-sized firms adopt market orientation plays a significant role in owner-managers’ subjective estimations of performance. Consequently, emerging market consolidation occurring as the result of efficient operation can lead to a satisfactory outcome.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: L20, M31

• Attention in the world of information goods - an analysis of scarcity

  1-20

  Balazs Hamori

  Views:

  159

  Attention as a form of service can also act as a source for the crearion of value. In its functional and market interconnections, attention is product of labour (product or service) and, as an exchangeable good, is naturally exchanged for money. The system of sxchange provides a significant amount of accurate information about the division of attention within society - the degree to which it reflects recognition by the individual and the community. The forum of exchange of attention can be viewed as the openness of society, while the internet is its international market place. However attention also played an important role in the 'old economy'; indeed in some cases attention was the central tool in its creation. Direct, personal services aimed at human beings (teaching, legal and health services) always demanded great attention. If nowadays a product itself is the main part of the service provided, attention becomes an important and decisive resource in the use of a product. The growing individualisation in the provision of goods and services, the increasingly direct interaction between people, and last, but not least, the transformation to a virtual level, necessarily increases the demand for attention in economic transactions- Unlike traditional goods, the outstanding feature of services, and more specifically intellectual goods, is the ability of consumers to devote sufficient time and attention to their use and to acquiring the necessary competence to use them. For the providers of these goods the ability to hold the attention of consumers/clients is often the crucial feature of competitive success. Praise, excellence and prestige are all manifestations of acquired attention. In this sense attention acts as a store of value, although it cannot be dircetly and easily compared with acquisition mechanism associated with money and other products. The economy of attention raises questions rather than offering defensible theses or clear statements. Even less does it allow us to claim that a theory could be crystallised in this field to explain how the expanding phenomenon of the non-material sector of the economy function in the economy as a whole. There is no doubt however that attention is a supremely important subject of research in the new economy.

• The institutional background of factoring

  71-96

  Zoltan Nagy

  Views:

  148

  The article examines the Hungarian financial institution system from the point of view of factoring. In the interest of clarifying concepts, the article compares the judicial and economic use of the concept, introduces the intermediary system, the banking system, and the financial institution system. It outlines the contradictions in institutional regulations relating to factoring and the history of the development of regulation in the financial sector in Hungary from the 1970 to the present. Besides presenting the deficiences in the regulatory system, the article suggests several alternative modifications to the Law, thus highlighting the significance of factoring. In this analysis the author deals with both international and national practices, which can both be used as a basis for future legal regulations, providing answres to the questions raised in the article concerning the institutional structure.

• The timing of the EMU accession

  45-62

  Laszlo Jankovics

  Views:

  262

  Following the Eu-accession the next major challenge is the preparation for and finally the introduction of the single currency for the Central Eastern European countries. In this paper, I analyze the legal, economic and political factors regarding the preparedness of the whole region, with special emphasis on Hungary. After taking the pros and cons of the official "as soon as possible" strategy into consideration, we can conclude that there is no convincing case for further postponing eurozone entry. Additionally, putting off the date indefinitely or ambiguously could result in growing economic uncertainty and dangerous financial instability. In the case of Hungary, it is very likely that the country would suffer serious loss of reputation and credibility were it to put off the target date a second time, i.e. beyond 2010. Lack of strong political commitment could unfortunately easily lead to a postponement of the adaption of the single currency. The potential implication might well be debated, but no doubt would be serious in terms of reputation and economic development.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) classification: E42, E58, F33 

• The conceptual inconsistency of the rational anticipation theory

  103-126

  Peter Galbacs

  Views:

  258

  In this article we analyse various contradictions in the assumptions and consquences forming the theory of rational expectations. The argument aims to demonstrate that important parts of the theory cannot be maintained at the same time without damaging the theory's logical structure, while we recognize that other parts force the theory far from the basis of reality. However, the rational ecpectations hypothesis is not simply a useless theoretical construct, since by delineating the proper boundaries of this hypothesis we can offer a clear justification for the operability of inflation targeting systems. If we relax the strong presumptions, giving a place to a monetary authority that is able and calculated to drive by Muth, although some consequences of this conception will be consistent with the assumptions - which depend on conditions that seem not to hold - of the original (strong) definition.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: B2, E5.

• Scarcity and Uncertainty Reduction by Institutions

  Laszlo Csorba

  Views:

  109

  Institutions are not equally able to reduce scarcity and uncertainty. If institutions were classified from this point of view we would acquire a new analyticaltool to examine institutions in the past the present or the future. Scarcity and uncertainty appear continuously and institutions can manage them only by a greater increase in individual responsibility. However, this also increases the danger of the disintegration of community. We can see this application in practice by surveying the Hungarian pension system over the past 100 years.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) classification: A11, B52, G18, G23

• The prospects of uniformization of the internal market of electricity in the European Union

  3-22

  Eva Sztanko

  Views:

  240

  The European internal market of electricity is not yet uniform, although it has been moving toward this direction for the last two decades. The energy market position of the consumers has been strengthening, the liquidity and the cross-border trade of the European electricity markets has been increasing. The stronger competition limited the wholesale prices. Despite the backsliding or stagnating household and industrial consumption, however, the retail prices and the costs have been increasing. The EU has to carry on reforming the electricity market in order to satisfy the need for more flexible energy-systems, to increase the competition, to make the consumers react to price changes in a more flexible way, to create more cost-effective governmental/market measures to handle price volatilities, to finance investments, and to minimise cost increases. The most recent comprehensive recommendations of the European Committee intend to create a new electricity market model, however, it yet remains to see the reception of these on behalf of the member countries.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) code: Q48

• The development of companies producing alternative protein end-products

  3-23

  János Szenderák

  Views:

  82

  Excessive consumption of animal-based protein has led to a significant negative impact on the environment and human health. Companies producing alternative protein end-products aim to produce substitute products that are similar to conventional animal-based products with less environmental impact. In this research, 955 alternative protein companies were analyzed using descriptive methods. The results revealed a significant increase in the number of companies after 2015, indicating high industry potential and an increasing global focus on sustainability. Plant-based products dominated the production structure because they were more appealing to consumers and may reach price parity sooner. Current food systems are unsustainable. Thus, although some factors still hinder the market uptake of alternative proteins, a shift towards a more sustainable food system is inevitable in the future.

• Corporate Governance from a Post-Communist Perspective

  69-82

  Peter Mihalyi

  Views:

  118

  In the aftermath of Enron and WorldCom scandals of 2001-2002, corporate governance (CG) has been put once again into the center of academic interest. Last time this happened in mid-1997, when a global financial crisis that began in Asia was widely attributed to appalling CG practices in Korea and Japan. Thus, for young readers this whole subject matter may seem to be an old hut. In reality, the term "corporate governance" has merely a 25 year old historiography. Systematic content analysis of the Anglo-Saxon press showed that the term CG arose first in the wake of the Watergate scandal. In the mid- to the late 1970s, public opinion suddenly discovered that major American corporations were involved in corrupt payments both at home and abroad. Prior to Wazergate scandal, competitive markets and good governance of business enterprises had been regarded as two sides of the same coin. It was a tacit understanding that well-run companies are honestly run companies and vice versa. Suddenly this equation was broken. Sence then the fast-growing CG literature has had a moral loading.

• Az európai növekedési potenciál eróziója

  5-23

  Peter Halmai

  Views:

  108

  The potential growth rate in the EU Member States has been declining and lagging behind their competitors since the 1990's. Due to severe productivity problems in the EU (first of all the significant decrease in the total factor productivity dynamics) and the insufficient adaptation to the processes of globalisation, further remarkable and permanent decline in the potential growth rate is expected. Paradoxically the potential growth rate might decrease in the long run to a greater extent in the new Member States. As a result of the present global economic crisis new risks might appear. The riskss of the recurrence of shocks are significant. These factors project further erosion of the European growth potential. Integrated structural reforms and a comprehensive review of the European model are needed in order to overcome the unfavourable trends and put Europe on a more favourable growth path than the one indicated in this study.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) classification: F15, F43

• The question of the efficiency of financial transactions: the German example

  13-24

  Istvan Musto

  Views:

  103

  Egy többdimenziós célrendszerben a hatékonyság a különböző komplementáris vagy konkuráló célok
  függvényében határozható meg. A német újraegyesülés gazdasági következményeinek példája azt mutatja,
  hogy a keleti tartományoknak juttatott masszív pénzügyi transzferek politikai szempontból elkerülhetetlenek
  voltak ugyan, hosszabb távon azonban jelentősen gyengítették az össznémet gazdaság teljesítőképességét.

• A bankválságok szerepe a külföldi bankok terjeszkedésében

  105-126

  Istvan Papp

  Views:

  106

  Az 1990-es években a külföldi bankok jelenléte látványosan növekedett világszerte, s különösen azokban az országokban volt dinamikus a terjeszkedésük, amelyek korábban nem képezték empirikus kutatások tárgyát. Tanulmányunk a világ 77 országában vizsgálta meg a külföldi bankok jelenlétét befolyásoló tényezőket. Empirikus eredményeink azt mutatják, hogy a külföldi bankok terjeszkedésében fontos szerepe van az adott országban eszközölt FDI nagyságának, valamint a helyi piaci lehetőségeknek. Elemzésünkben empirikusan teszteltünk egy új magyarázóváltozót (bankválság), amelynek bevezetésével kiterjesztettük a korábbi kutatások eredményeit, ugyanis számításaink arra engednek következtetni, hogy azokban az országokban, amelyekben előfordult bankválság a 90-es évtizedben, ott magasabb a külföldi bankok aránya a helyi bankszektorban. Éppen ezért, ennek az új magyarázóváltozónak az alkalmazását célszerű megfontolni minden olyan esetben, amikor a külföldi bankok terjeszkedésének okait vizsgáljuk.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) kód: G21.

• A fiskális politika sokrétűsége: Benczes István–Kutasi Gábor: Költségvetési pénzügyek Akadémiai Kiadó, 2010, 358 oldal, 4200 Ft

  159-163

  Levente Nadasi

  Views:

  159

• The possibilities and impossibilities of Hungarian public debt

  26-42

  Laszlo Torok

  Views:

  374

  The topic of the present study is the hypothetical, ex ante nature examination of Hungary’s gross consolidated public debt. The study defines the most important concepts and correlations, the judgments on the different degrees of public debt, the development of the Hungarian public debt, its main stages and characteristics. The study then presents a macroeconomic framework, which can predict the future output values of the public debt commensurable to GDP, depending on the parameters of the main explanatory variables. The establishment of input values of the main macroeconomic aggregates, as endogenous variables, is based on the author’s extrapolation and other empirical studies. Applying these, the values of the future public debt rates can be forecasted. The present study intends to show that the explanatory (economic) variables currently have well established values, which, if inserted into the chosen macroeconomic forecasting framework, show that the Hungarian public debt compared to GDP can be reduced to the desired 50 percent level. As the result of ten scenarios a more or less pessimistic, but in the case of one scenario, an optimistic, picture emerged concerning the future state of gross public debt.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) classifications: C53, H68

• Adminisztratív kultúra a közigazgatásban – a teljesítmény-megítélés tendenciái

  75-102

  Eniko E. Szilagyi

  Views:

  194

  Mi magyarázza individuális-szervezeti oldalról a bürokrácia (közigazgatás) teljesítményt érintő reformjainak kudarcát, és mi az összefüggés a kultúra és a bürokratikus teljesítmény között? A kérdésre választ keresve jelen írás feltételezi, hogy a bürokratikus teljesítmény jellemzői (és nehéz változtathatósága) hozzájárulnak a közigazgatási teljesítmény-megítélés tendenciáihoz. A közigazgatás verbális modelljének értelmezési keretén belül bevezeti az adminisztratív kultúra összetett fogalmát. Végül empirikus példákkal támasztja alá a közigazgatási teljesítmény-megítélés két fő tendenciáját: a homogenitási és szelektivitási problémát.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) kódok: D73, H70, M14

• Economic stimulus effects of the Hungarian Lending for Growth Scheme

  51-70

  Péter Quittner

  Views:

  237

  This paper examines the impacts of the Hungarian Lending for Growth Scheme (LFS), focusing primarily on its effects on GDP in the short and medium run. Since such a tool has not been applied before in Hungary, the Hungarian literature on its effects is narrow. Accordingly, the point of reference could only be the international experience, which considers these tools effective. The empirical analysis presented in this paper also underpins this conclusion. That is, according to the results, the LFS may significantly stimulate both aggregate demand and aggregate supply. On the other hand, the LFS implies an asymmetric intertemporal trade-off as a result of which there is a negative effect in the long run. This is, however, considerably smaller than are the positive effects in the short-run.

  Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: E51, E52