Financial incentives meet moral imperatives in Viktor Orbán’s “social contract” with Hungarian women analysis In 2018, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated he wanted to establish a "new social contract" with Hungarian women about their role in the future of Hungary, as the demographic future of the country hinges on them. This article observes the effects of Orbán's pronatalist policies of the past decade. By Orsolya Bajnay
The key to countering the Orbán regime is hard work, not a miracle analysis Since April 2010, when Orbán's government was first given the constitutional mandate to govern by a democratic election, countless large-scale demonstrations against them have taken place in Budapest. Yet the regime is still in place. Moreover, in April 2022, it received a constitutional majority for the fourth consecutive time. This ostensible contradiction needs to be understood if a viable alternative with a chance of victory is to emerge in the increasingly autocratic state of Hungary. By Andrea Szabó
Pros and Cons of the European Media Freedom Act Článek Czechia has firsthand experience with a prominent politician controlling his media. Therefore, we must not stay on the sidelines. It is of the utmost importance that Czechia support the creation of this legislation, MEP Marcel Kolaja (Czech Pirate Party, Greens/EFA) says regarding the Media Freedom Act. By Marcel Kolaja
Orbán's regime set out to promote political realignment in Europe Analysis A recent EP report on the risk Hungary poses upon the values of the Union stated that "the lack of decisive EU action has contributed to a breakdown in democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary, turning the country into a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy". Despite this unusually clear definition, there are still doubts about effectively addressing the rule of law problem within the EU. By Róbert László
Tightening Abortion Rules – a Birth Rate Incentive? analysis On 15 September, without prior public consultation, the Hungarian Interior Minister issued a decree protecting foetal life and amending the country’s relatively liberal abortion rules. This article investigates the background to this decree, taking a critical view of the flagship family policy of the alliance between FIDESZ and the Christian-Democratic People’s Party governing Hungary since 2010. By Anna Frenyó
Journalist expert: Hungarian media market resembles Russia before the war Interview Orbán's voters look at the first news they get; they do not search out independent media. His methods are also being adopted in other countries, which is why we need to be alert to any change the government makes that creates an unfavourable environment for journalists, thinks Attila Mong of the Committee to Protect Journalists. By Barbara Zmušková
Political Affiliations of First Voters in Hungary Flash report HBS with IDEA Institute conducted a survey into first time voter preferences between February and May 2022 via a social media based questionnaire. This survey was completely unique as it specifically targeted the 17-22 age group, which is usually represented with a small sample size in youth studies.
Viktor Orbán has not arrived on the far right just now by his ‘mixed race’ comment Analysis Viktor Orbán’s recent thoughts on race theory in Băile Tușnad/Tusnádfürdő in Romania on 23 July have provoked strong reactions in Hungary and internationally. However, the Prime Minister has not said anything new. By Political Capital
Austerity measures in Hungary: The shape of the crisis to come Analysis For the last 12 years, the consecutive Governments headed by Viktor Orbán successfully avoided imposing direct austerity measures on the Hungarian population. This is no longer the case, however. By Áron Varga
How American conservatism is beginning to resemble Hungary Analysis Parallels between the American "New Right" and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s brand of illiberalism extend beyond CPAC and his relationship with Trump. By Sam Denney