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  • Analysis of Fertility Trends in Hungary and Sweden
    52-89
    Views:
    27

    The aim of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of fertility trends in Hungary and Sweden by examining demographic indicators (1980–2022) and the temporal evolution of structural factors. The first part of the study analyzes changes in fertility patterns based on demographic indicators. This is followed by an empirical investigation relying on trend analysis of time series data from 1995 to 2022, using international statistical databases. The trend analysis focuses on the temporal development of total fertility rates (TFR), as well as female employment rates, educational attainment, gender wage gaps, and the share of family benefits relative to GDP. The findings indicate that fertility trends often coincided with economic, social, and institutional changes. In Hungary, the TFR began to rise following its 2011 low point, while in Sweden fertility has remained relatively stable, supported by the expansion of in-kind family benefits and high female employment rates, which facilitate the reconciliation of childbearing and participation in the labour market. The analysis highlights that the impact of family policy measures is strongly conditioned by the broader structural environment.

  • The EU states innovation and competitiveness clusters in 2013
    22-36
    Views:
    127

    In the era of the innovation economy it is natural that innovation is one of the key definitions, because of its literature is excessively far-reaching: global, micro and macro level, in connection of
    the business and non-business sector, it’s also defined in social context. The literary background
    of this essay shows a historical overview of the development that occurred in the definition of
    innovation and its different interpretations.
    After exploring the literary background a quantitative, descriptive and explanatory statistic
    analysis will be written in a monothetic and deductive approach. In this phase of my research
    I will make macro level international comparative analyzes with the help of the EU and the
    WEF (World Economic Forum) data base (Innovation Union Scoreboard, illetve Global Competitiveness Index), and the SPSS software. This essay’s goal is to determine whether there is a
    connection between innovation processes and the forming of competitiveness on a macro level
    and if there is how it can be interpreted. Later with a similar goal and methodology I would like
    to make international micro level comparative analyzes and then by combining the macro and
    micro level results, I will determine how the macro level innovation policy influences the micro
    level innovativeness and competitiveness. Using all of these results I would like to determine the
    special features of the national innovation policy and the chances for optimalization.

  • Social capital in Sweden and Hungary: Comparative analysis along the dimensions of trust, values and interpersonal relationships
    5-28
    Views:
    193

    This paper examines and compares the Swedish and Hungarian society along three dimensions: interpersonal (generalized) trust, interpersonal relationships, and values of cooperation. These are all crucial components of social capital, could be seen as its most relevant domains, which, in a macro perspective, express the cohesion and integration of a given society. Thus, the above-mentioned indicators provide deep insight into the social fabrics and dynamics of Sweden and Hungary, as well as the potential changes. The empirical analysis is based on data obtained from waves 1–10 of the European Social Survey (ESS). The relevance of the analysis is due to the specific representation of Sweden in the Hungarian political discourse and in some parts of the media. According to this framing integration and cohesion of the Swedish society is in an increasingly poor state, whereas in Hungary things are going much better. Our paper aims to shed light on this issue along the dimensions presented above. Our results show that, in terms of the dimensions of social capital examined, Swedish society is not in a bad state at all, and in fact presents a significantly more favourable picture than Hungarian society on the basis of the same indicators.

  • Electoral Systems in East Central Europe
    26-50
    Views:
    146

    The democratic transition in Eastern and Central Europe provides a good opportunity to
    examine how to apply the findings of the science of elections in a new dimension. This study
    based on 167 elections in 23 countries shows the formation, evolution and political consequences
    of the new electoral systems. The hypothesis of the paper is that the elections and electoral
    systems in this region not always correspond to the conventional wisdom. Our analysis divides
    into five parts the region (Central Europe, Western and Eastern Balkans, Baltic States and the
    other former republics of Soviet Union). This division helps to get an sophisticatad picture about
    the emergence and changes of the new electoral systems. By showing country by country we can
    demonstrate the similarities and differences between and within subgroups as well. Finally
    using three well-known indices (least square index, effective electoral and parliamentary
    number of parties) the study summarizes – country by country and subgroups by subgroups by
    type – the political consequences for the proportionality and party structure. The analysis of the
    167 elections demonstrates that Eastern and Central Europe does not show uniformity regarding
    the political consequences of the electoral systems. Their influence is more moderate than in the
    established democracies and they are also much more volatile. Their changes have shown rather
    diverging than converging trend in the last quarter century. The conventional findings are
    difficult to apply for this region, they are only partially valid, especially the formation of party
    structure differ from the previous experiences. In sum the Eastern and Central European elections
    do not invalidate the conventional statements of the elctoral studies but they offen do not show
    corresponding image. So they significantly contribute to the further development and refinement
    of the previous findings.

  • Social Value Changes and Social Work Education: Examining the Student Base and Career Orientation of Social Work and Related Undergraduate Programs in Light of Social Value Changes
    98-112
    Views:
    114

    The rapid pace of technological modernization, coupled with the economic and political impacts of the past 30 years, has significantly reshaped the value system of the domestic population. As a result, human-centred community values that have held significant dominance for centuries (e.g., solidarity, supportive relationships, community) are increasingly being overshadowed by the growing dominance of individualistic and materialistic values. The societal acceptance and expansion of an ideology that prioritizes material growth and personal interests influence the development of personality and the moral framework of value systems through social interactions. This shift thus affects the motivational orientation of career choices among the younger generation. This study examines the extent of change through comparative quantitative data analysis and proposes measures to address the declining interest in social work careers.

  • Political development: what, why, how? A comparative framework for Hungarian history
    5-26
    Views:
    210

    The essay focuses on the comparative analysis of Hungarian political development before 1989–90. Instead of dealing with the 32 years since the change of regime, the author is interested in how many different interpretations of political development can be identified. The author singles out examples of political development in developed countries (for example the United States) as well as developing countries (those countries which have become decolonized in the 1960s). The starting point of the analysis is that Hungary cannot be described by either the categories used for developed countries or those that are used for developing ones. While the essay recognizes that the measure of progress at all times for Hungarian development is the example of Western development, it does not accept the approach according to which Hungarian development is a “dead-end” because it differs from Western development in many ways. The essay puts forward the hypothesis of the “normality” of Hungarian political development.