Search
Search Results
-
Social policy model change in Hungary in the light of post-2010 governance
28-42Views:206Hungarian social policy underwent a major shift in emphasis following the change of government in 2010. The aim of this study is to examine the direction of these changes of emphasis compared to the models used by Esping-Andersen to typify welfare states. The analysis uses the classical criteria of the models and analyses changes in social policy principles, goals and instruments in five areas. In the areas of employment, family policy, tax policy, housing policy and crisis management, we would like to show that in Hungary we cannot currently speak of a purely conservative social policy model as declared by the government. The conclusion of our study is that the Hungarian system currently uses mixed elements, although the declared values are conservative and the authorities try to preserve conservative structures and actors, there is a significant shift in emphasis in social policy, and the mixed model shows strong liberal elements.
-
Family perspectives for young people growing up in child protection care
67-87Views:88The study examines the factors of family perspectives among vulnerable youths – children and youth living in alternative care – with qualitative method. The target group is children who live in the Hungarian child protection system as juveniles. Children and young people experiencing different family substitute arenas may result in various family perspectives. These family perspectives are examined within a theoretical framework of family sociology and human ecology.We used a complex approach to describe the experiences and changes of these structural and family-replacer dimensions together with their impacts on the family perspective. We have found that the family perspectives of the young people are diverse and their narratives about their visions of the future are often linked to dominant family and life events previously experienced in family milieus and forms of care. At the same time, the complexity of life events and the diversity of future plans are not necessarily reflected in the institutional background and the professional-young relationships that could support young people’s autonomy. Based on the interviews, the family and community levels of the human ecology model can also be a significant factor in young people’s family perspectives, so cooperation between family and community, institutional actors can be one of the keys to providing adequate support for young people. In order to realize future plans for family perspectives, professionals need to focus more on individual needs and the diversity and variability of family perspectives.
-
The situation of Roma education in Harghita county – attitudes of pedagogues
75-92Views:48The study presents the attitudes and behaviours of pedagogues, based on interviews with
teachers working with Roma children which constitute the quotidian educational practice. In
absence of institutional programs, infrastructural and personal conditions, the teachers need
to find solutions for the given difficulties. They become the key figures of the integration process
and hence their attitudes and approaches are determining from the point of view of Roma
children’s school efficiency. The target audience of the research are composed by pedagogues,
who teach in elementary schools in the Csiki Basin in Harghita county, where the rate of Roma
learners exceeds 25 percents. Signalling the main directions of the national policy and the
presentation of literature examining the Hungarian-Roma relationship in Szeklerland offer a
broader framework for the interpretation of the subject. -
’If a worker’s hostel – let it be good’: The status of worker’s hostels in state and corporate social policy in Szabolcs-Szatmár county in the 1970s
43-61Views:76The presentation of the commuter’s ’second home’ is inevitable in connection with the research of commuting as one of the most defining social phenomena of the Kádár era. This is particularly justified in Szabolcs-Szatmár county, which area was closely connencted to the phenomenon of short-distance commuting. One of the main goals of the intertwining state and corporate social policy implemented in the era, especially from the first half of the 1960’s, was undoubtedly to ensure satisfactory living conditions and cultural services provided by workers’ hostels. While from the beginning of the 1970’s, the county’s political leadership, one of the companies employing the most commuters, the Szabolcs County State Construction Company, prioritized the matter of workers’ hostels, which had been operated since the beginning of the fifties, from the end of the sixties. The company’s efforts were mainly shown in connection with the creation of suitable hygienic conditions and the provision of cultural opportunities. However, despite the significant financial outlay, a lasting result was not achieved, as a result of which the corporate goals set in previous decades were also prioritized in the 1980’s.
-
Territorial integration and development policy. : The case of Vértes Nature Park
41-63.Views:50The paper seeks to understand the influences of development policy initiatives on territorial in-tegration. Through the analysis of Vértes Nature Park case study we aimed at exploring whether the territorial relationships of the stakeholders can be restructured by spatially based develop-ment. The aim of the paper is to present the mechanisms of territorial integration by a case study analysis of rural territorial development.Our findings show that the participation and involvement of stakeholders in rural develop-ment are determined by their role and status in the initiative, thus the initiator actors are the more active ones. The territorial relationships of stakeholders are increased and strengthened by the level of involvement in the activities of Vértes Nature Park. Nevertheless, the territorial closeness also affects the stakeholders’ involvement. Csákvár and its surroundings have central position in this territorial relationship. The acceptance of the principals of the initiatives is also affected by the territorial closeness and it limits the contested development initiatives.
-
The Situation of Adult Education in Seclerland: Summary of professional analyzes from the decades following the regime change
93-108Views:35The study uses previous analysis and research reports to review the evolution of adult education.
It presents the national and regional contexts, after that engages in the detailed presentation
of adult education – structures, conditions, practices and functioninig – in Harghita county.
One of the conclusions from the review of previous analysis and research reports is that the
basic practices of adult education evolved during the first two decades of transition are still
very dominant in today’s functioning of adult education. The possible current chances of adult
education are not yet exploited neither in regional policy planning nor in regional development
practice. There are further research and development tasks and opportunities in adult education. -
The 2019 local elections in Szeged
52-66Views:45The 2019 local, municipal election outclasses the second-order elections in the given political constellation. This is especially true in the case of Szeged, where the opposition – unlike the situation at the national level – has the power for a long time. To change this situation, the governing parties, taking advantage of their dominant position – and using all means – conducted a very vigorous campaign, changing the city into a battlefield. According to the results, the governemt’s attempt was not successfull, it was rather contraproductive. The reigning mayor and city management won an unprecedented victory. The root cause of it is a special urban policy which extracted the local politics from the partyfights and overrode party interests, and which represented the interests of the city succesfully and with credibility even against cross-wind. Based on the cooperation of the entire opposition the implemented urban policy is symbolized by and embodied in the person of the mayor in office since 2002.
-
Basic income: Sugar-coating over a bitter pill?
159-181Views:55Current and future evolutions in labour markets may be blurring lines between traditional
employment and new types of atypical employment, making it harder to reliably assess whether
someone is receiving any benefits at all. The basic income should be seen as a serious option in
the future, given the changing labor market and the findings from existing cash transfer schemes.BI is not means-tested, so the amount received does not depend on individual or family income or
assets and does not require any work performance, or the willingness to accept a job if offered.
In this study I examine the created image by the media through the method of content
analysis, in relation to basic income. Furthermore, it is analyzed to what extent this effect creates
a negative image of basic income among the students of the University of Debrecen, strengthening
the fear towards this social policy tool. Particular attention is paid to the value choices of young
people focusing on their individualization, motivation of working and willingness to take risks. -
Alternatives of how to prepare for the future labor market
146-160Views:62What happens if among the members of a society and among the smaller and larger units and groups making up the society trust and confidence seems to be disappearing at once? What happens if confidence reposed into each other fall victim to social differences as well as to the economic / cost-of-living boxing of modern information society? How to stop the crisis symptom that seems to be developing this way and which is shown in the fragmentation of communities?1 With other words, is it possible to “stick again together” a community or even a whole society started to disintegrate? The questions, even if not so characteristically phrased, provide sociologists actually with the scope of understanding our modern, individualistic world (Habermas 1994). Gusfield (1975) depicts dichotomy of community and society in a way that we should interpret community as a pervading, significant contrast. By now literature seems as if it was only be able to picture the changes taking place in the images both of the society and community describing them by even more pronounced, contradictory processes. The changes that send messages on the disintegration of categories and frames becoming insecure instead of the security and integration quasi missed by Habermas. It also seems as if—quasi as an answer given to this process—occlusion/seclusion both on the part of community members and the various communities from the seemingly unknown and insecure changes were more intensive (Légmán 2012). We intend to construe these phenomena on the next pages, but due to extension limits without the need for completeness of social interpretations. We want to do it with the help of mainly one dimension: value preference through the example of a given society, namely the Hungarian one. Thus we get to the stability and the solidarity of the members of the smallest unit of society, one which accepts and expresses various value preferences, the family.
From time immemorial, one of the crucial questions of mankind has been what the future has in store for us. The future, however, has remained unfathomable up to this day, and even future studies promises only as much as prognosticating what is likely to continue and what will plausibly change in the world. Thus, no wonder, that already the first “real” economists of the 18th century (Adam Smith et al.) considered the creation of the future model of labor economy as a challenge. At the present era of modern labor market, this task is closely connected with the future status of labor market since in a consumer society income acquired by work forms the basis of satisfying needs (Ehrenberg – Smith 2003, Galasi 1994).We are not saying anything new by stating the fact that the demand for labor force is determined by new places of work and that an ideal supply of labor force must be adaptable to the requirements of demand. To meet requirements and to be adaptable is possible only if we are armed with the necessary competencies and capital (Hodges – Burchell 2003, Bourdieu 1998). The question, to what extent students in higher education are prepared for changes in the demand for labor force, arises at this point. What can young people expect on the labor market in this ever changing world? What kind of job opportunities and work conditions are there for them, and how much are they prepared to face these changes?
-
What’s the matter? A text mining analysis of political topics and user engagement on politicians’ Facebook pages during the 2018 Hungarian general election campaign
94-123.Views:37The research investigates the way users interact with leading topics of the 2018 Hungarian
general election campaign on candidates’ Facebook pages. It expects that the prominent
(immigration, corruption) and campaign-related topics generate more user engagement, while
policy topics and mobilization content are less interacted. It also tests the theory of issue ownership
in relation with user engagement. These expectations are tested on a dataset that includes all
posts (38030 posts) posted by all candidates during the campaign (511 candidates). Topics
are identified by text mining methods. The study demonstrates that corruption, development
policy and campaign are highly engaged topics, while immigration was more interacted only on
opposition politicians’ pages since the followers of pro-government candidates engage less with
immigration-related content. The most surprising result is that a reversed issue ownership effect
can be detected since politicians are generally less successful with their own topics. -
Family plans and career plans among higher education students in the field of social sciences based on a pilot study in Eastern Hungary
71-93Views:93Our paper explores the family and career plans of social sciences students at Hungary’s second largest university based on a questionnaire-based pilot study. Nowadays, careers include more than the traditional vertical promotion within an organisation, as seen from the emergence of the self-directed “protean” career type, which prompts organisations to adapt to individuals’ values, attitudes, and own career definitions. In addition, the Kaleidoscope Career Model sets out that individuals adapt their career goals to their life stages. Thus, students’ career and family plans matter to prospective employers. Our results show that a modern self-directed career type has emerged among students, for whom it is a priority to meet their own expectations. In several cases, starting a family is preceded by career goals. Furthermore, despite the “feminine” nature of social sciences, our pilot study shows that male students in the field still tend to conform to traditional gender roles regarding the importance of family and career. Our research implies that prospective employers need to adapt their HR strategies to young people’s family and career plans. Moreover, organisations should support students in gaining relevant work experience and in achieving their subsequent career plans.
-
The Career-building effect of volunteering in higher education
146-160Views:89Nowadays the motives for volunteering are changing among higher education students, and
besides traditional altruistic motives, career-building motives also appear (the acquisition
of work experience and professional knowledge, professional development, networking,
the presentation of voluntary work in the resume). In this paper, we use data from a survey
conducted in five Central and Eastern European countries (N=2,199) to examine through linear
regression analysis the factors affecting the strength of career-building motives and to analyse
through a logistic regression model the determinants of whether or not volunteering is related to the field of study. Our hypotheses are formulated based on the literature. Our results show
that career-building motives are more pronounced among women and students who have a
close relationship with external friends outside the university, study outside Hungary, and study
something other than engineering, computer science or science. Voluntary work is more likely to
be related to the field of study among teacher education students, students with an unfavourable
financial situation, those who study in Romania, and those who have a close relationship with
faculty. -
The EU states innovation and competitiveness clusters in 2013
22-36Views:43In 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. -
The Earning and cash management characteristics of the roma communities living on the margins of society in Budapest
110-128Views:64In this essay, I aim to explore the income and cash management characteristics of the roma
communities living on the margins of society in Budapest. In my research, my main focus was the
way people are living in the segregated streets of “Magdolna district” reacted to the declining
opportunities after the economical system change. Another question to be answered is what
strategies these families and households use to provide the sufficient amount of income, and if
there is any kind of economical or ’life-management’ community function between them beyond
the segregation.
After reviewing the job opportunities, I concentrated on the characteristics of the consumption
structure. I interviewed them about their costs of living as well as the possible ways of reducing
their expences. I also tried to examine how the cooperation of extended families effect the
everyday life of the smaller parts of these families. -
The slave trade and trust
172-177.Views:56Does culture have an impact on society, and if so, how? The study by Nathan Nunn and Leonard Wantchekon set out to examine the impact of the slave trade, which has left its mark on the African continent and its economy, but which ended some 100 years ago, on the cultural, norm-following, beliefs and values of individuals. Their aim is to explore the reasons that led to the historical disconnect within Africa between local governments or municipalities (politics), between the outlying communities (neighbours) and even within family relations, which may still influence economic development today. Nunn and Wantchekon's hypothesis is based on an earlier study by Nunn, which showed a causal link between the 400-year slave trade and the income conditions of the African population today, looking at the long-term economic effects of the slave trade.
-
Labour law and insurance from patriarchy to the beginning of nationalisation
279-282Views:42If the reader picks up Zsombor Bódy's The Society of Industrial Labour, the title page will probably lead him to a long discussion of the new problems and tasks caused by industrialisation, and the structure and situation of social relations that it changed.
However, reading the first pages, we understand that Bódy, touching on the deeper social context, selects only a slice of the complex problems of industrial society of the time, the development and change of the institutional system related to work from the mid-19th century to the end of the Second World War. The author, who has extensively processed relevant volumes of international and national literature and numerous archival and printed sources, has synthesised his findings in this volume after several smaller studies. The work contains a number of new approaches and new problem definitions, which I would like to reflect on below. From the book we can learn about the views and plans of the time in relation to labour, the provisions that were born, from the patriarchal view to the beginning of the era of nationalisation. A great advantage of the work is that it analyses at length the prevailing social policy ideas of each period, contrasting the different views. It deals not only with governmental ideas, but also with the views of the opposition, the interest groups and, last but not least, the experts and their associations of the time. It examines the power of each organisation in each era and the influence it could exert on decision-makers, achieving different results, even against other groups. All of this is to the advantage of the essay, and the author perhaps sometimes over-details the battles between different views.
