This paper aims to provide an insight into the current state of the municipal level in Hungary.
The Eastern European states have entirely changed their state and administrative structures within a few decades. The post-communist transformation and Europeanization played a crucial role in this process. After the fall of communism in 1989/90, the former Soviet states attempted to democratize the state apparatus by creating new institutions and implementing substantial decentralization. The administration of the states took on a significant role in this process. The decentralization of the administration was driven to prevent a concentration of power at individual institutions and to be able to implement reforms more quickly, effectively, and efficiently. Administrative decentralization was also reinforced during the accession phase to the EU.
The Hungarian administration's decentralization was also the most pronounced of all post-communist states. Hungary gave the individual administrative units (especially the municipalities) a great deal of autonomy, strengthened their rights, and granted them a broad range of responsibilities. Because of Hungary's significant role, the following paper will examine the Hungarian administration's current state.
However, the complete Hungarian administration would go beyond the scope of this paper. The study will therefore focus on only one administrative area: local government. The reason for this is straightforward. In recent years, one could see a tendency in Europe for local governments to be strengthened. Hungary is an exception. In Hungary, the local government has fallen the most compared to other European countries. Simultaneously, municipalities played a significant role in both the reforms after the post-communist transformation and the Europeanization during the accession phase.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Current state of research
3 Central terms and definitions: Hungarian administrative structure and decentralization
4 Importance of municipalities after the fall of communism in 1989/90
5 The Development of the Hungarian Administration from the Late 1980s to Orban's Accession to Government
6 Local Self-Government before the Start of Reforms
6.1 Legal Protection
6.2 Municipal Tasks
6.3 Municipal Finances
7 The reforms after 2010
7.1 Removal of legal protection
7.2 Creation of new districts and strengthening of intermediate authorities
7.3 Total financial dependence on the central government
8 Local Autonomy Index of Hungary and the Comparison with Other Countries
9 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This paper aims to investigate the evolution of the municipal level in Hungary, focusing specifically on the significant administrative reforms implemented between 2010 and 2014, and to answer the research question: How has local self-government changed since Viktor Orban came to power?
- The transition of Hungarian administrative structures post-1989.
- Comparative analysis of local government autonomy before and after the 2010 reforms.
- Evaluation of legal, financial, and structural constraints on municipalities.
- Use of the Local Autonomy Index to assess Hungary's status relative to other European nations.
Excerpt from the Book
4 Importance of municipalities after the fall of communism in 1989/90
After the Iron Curtain's fall in 1989, the Republic of Hungary was proclaimed on October 23, 1989. The socialist constitution of 1949 was fundamentally changed along the German Basic Law lines in 1990 and came into force on August 24. The top priority for the transformation was to change a centralized state with too much concentration of power. The principle of checks and balances and decentralization played an important role. (Wollmann 2003)
The municipalities assumed a decisive role in the course of this transformation. To promote decentralization, the municipalities were granted far-reaching self-government rights (Chapter 9 Hungarian Constitution of 1990). In the same year, the Municipal Act (Act 65, Year 1990) was passed, which was constitutional. This law gave the municipalities the right to expand their self-government tasks. As a result of new regulations and directions for the municipalities, communities were allowed to establish new municipalities. As a consequence, 1500 more municipalities were established in Hungary. (Balázs et al. 2014)
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Discusses the role of post-communist transformation and Europeanization in shaping the Hungarian state structure and sets the focus on the decline of local government autonomy.
2 Current state of research: Reviews existing academic literature, identifying a research gap regarding the specific impacts of recent centralization on Hungarian local self-government.
3 Central terms and definitions: Hungarian administrative structure and decentralization: Explains the hierarchical levels of the Hungarian administration and defines the key forms of decentralization (deconcentration, delegation, and devolution).
4 Importance of municipalities after the fall of communism in 1989/90: Outlines the historical context of the post-1989 shift towards a decentralized state and the resulting strong position of municipalities.
5 The Development of the Hungarian Administration from the Late 1980s to Orban's Accession to Government: Traces the path from initial professionalization reforms to the later trends of over-politicization and centralization.
6 Local Self-Government before the Start of Reforms: Details the legal status, task profiles, and financial freedoms enjoyed by municipalities prior to the 2010 administrative shift.
7 The reforms after 2010: Analyzes the systematic dismantling of municipal powers through the removal of legal protections, the creation of district offices, and increased financial dependence on the state.
8 Local Autonomy Index of Hungary and the Comparison with Other Countries: Uses quantitative data from the Local Autonomy Index to demonstrate Hungary’s significant decline in local self-governance compared to its European counterparts.
9 Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, concluding that the state administration has replaced municipalities as the central pillar of the Hungarian state organization.
Keywords
Hungary, local self-government, administrative reform, decentralization, centralization, Viktor Orban, Fidesz, Local Autonomy Index, municipal tasks, public administration, legal protection, political patronage, post-communism, state organization, municipal finance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the transformation of the Hungarian local government system, specifically assessing how administrative reforms enacted since 2010 have altered its functionality and autonomy.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The study focuses on the legal standing of municipalities, their assigned administrative tasks, their financial independence, and the broader trend of state-led centralization.
What is the primary research question?
The guiding question is: How has local self-government in Hungary changed since Viktor Orban came to power?
What scientific methods were employed?
The author uses a qualitative literature review combined with a comparative analysis of quantitative data provided by the Local Autonomy Index to measure administrative shifts.
What does the main body of the work address?
It provides a historical timeline from the post-1989 era through the 2010 reforms, contrasting the initial decentralization period with the subsequent re-centralization efforts under the Fidesz government.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Hungarian local government, administrative centralization, post-communist transition, and the Local Autonomy Index.
How did the 2011/2012 reforms impact municipal finances?
The reforms shifted the calculation of financial support to align with central government functions and restricted the ability of municipalities to borrow funds without state approval, effectively removing their financial autonomy.
What role do the newly created "districts" (Yarasok) play?
Created in 2013, the districts act as local extensions of the state administration, taking over many of the tasks previously performed by local municipalities.
How does Hungary's ranking in the Local Autonomy Index reflect the findings?
Hungary's ranking dropped from 19th out of 39 countries in 2010 to 32nd in 2014, reflecting a significant, measurable deterioration in local self-government autonomy.
- Citar trabajo
- Hüseyin Ugur Sagkal (Autor), 2020, How has local self-government changed since Viktor Orban came to power?, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1022876
