Észak-magyarországi Stratégiai Füzetek

Approaches to energy transition: A comparative analysis of South Africa and Hungary after changes in their political systems

2025-01-16T10:09:22+01:00

Countries across the world are transitioning from fossil fuel dominated energy to low carbon energy systems. They are adopting initiatives to encourage development of clean energy sources. However, the approaches, strategies and the pace of this transition differs from country to country. This study comparatively examines approaches to energy transition in South Africa and Hungary. The two countries have undergone a significant transformation in their political systems over the past 30 years, this was followed by a series of initiatives aiming to encourage adoption of environmentally friendly energy sources. While Hungary has prioritized nuclear energy as a way to achieve energy security and lower emissions from coal-based energy, South Africa has concentrated on increasing energy access and tackling energy poverty through the integration of renewable energy sources.

Challenges in defining and measuring social resilience

2025-01-16T10:22:39+01:00

Over the past two decades, resilience has gained considerable popularity in both social and economic sciences, reinforced by the effects of various economic and social shocks and the pandemic that has spread worldwide. On the other hand, more and more detailed and extensive studies have been launched on the various types of resilience (social, economic, ecological, etc.), which, in addition to the undoubtedly useful scientific results, have highlighted the elusive nature of the phenomenon and the lack of a centripetal force to channel the various lines of research in a single direction and unify the various interpretative frameworks.

The paper attempts to provide a conceptual overview of one type of resilience, social resilience, based on the available theoretical framework. With the help of previous research results, I will define a set of indicators for this concept to test and verify it in the context of empirical research. Refining the indicator set and the definition also provides an opportunity to distinguish between different types of resilience partially, thus contributing to a more accurate scientific understanding. The added value of the paper is that some of the indicator groups have been tested empirically, thus demonstrating the scientific value of the method.

Agglomeration challenges among the municipalities of Győr

2025-01-16T10:30:56+01:00

This paper presents the results of my research in the urban area of Győr. My research is based on semi-structured interviews with decision-makers (mayors, deputy mayors) and professional leaders (e.g. chief architects, notaries) of more than 10 municipalities.

The aim of the research was to typify, collect and analyse the challenges that municipalities face due to suburbanisation in a comparative analysis. Another important objective was to identify good practices, in particular to capture the specific challenges of different agglomeration municipalities.

In most cases, health, education and transport services are the most affected by growing population demand, while more affluent neighbourhoods are looking for better leisure, cultural and sports facilities. The integrated, vision-driven development of these emerging agglomeration areas is hampered by the funding structures and 'project mentality' of the municipalities studied. The main finding of my research is that medium-sized agglomeration municipalities face the main challenges in the study area, where everyday municipal management also poses significant challenges in everyday life.

Fostering cultural sensitivity among university students through engagement in international projects¬presenting various methods to enhance the cultural intelligence of university students

2025-01-16T10:49:58+01:00

This study derives its foundation from the outcomes of a Virtual Exchange initiative, involving 73 students from three distinct universities: Budapest Business University, Hungary; University of Sfax, Tunisia and Ismir Democracy University, Turkey. The project provided an in-depth exploration of the three countries from diverse angles, including cultural, social, historical, sociological, gastronomic, and various other perspectives, as observed, and presented by university students. In 8-month research the author examined the cognitive, behavioural, motivational, and cultural aspects of cultural intelligence of university students before and after the 6-week long Virtual Exchange project and compared the pre-and post-project results. The paper summarizes the results of a research carried out in 2024. In this research, the author scrutinized the levels of sensitivity among students both prior to and following collaborative work within a cross-cultural project with their international counterparts. The study aimed to ascertain whether engagement and collaboration within a multinational environment yield supplementary values, as well as identifying the specific soft skills cultivated through such collaborative endeavours. The results indicate that engagement in collaborative international projects with foreign peers can significantly enhance cultural sensitivity.

Conduct analysis of hospitality organisations

2025-01-16T13:28:24+01:00

Tourism and the hospitality industry that organically joins it are of decisive economic importance worldwide, about 10% of the Hungarian working population works in this sector. The aim of our research is to present the structure of the organizations in the sector, focusing on the different perspectives of managers and subordinates in relation to decision-making, responsibility issues, subordination relations and sustainability. Decision making during operation is important for the successful operation of organizations, so it is necessary for managers to understand the factors that influence the decisions of their subordinates. Although decision-making is always the responsibility of the leader, in an ever-changing, evolving sector that requires quick response is a decisive success factor. Data was collected by conducting in-depth interviews on site in the summer of 2024, during which we interviewed the manager of the catering establishments separately and an employee of our choice.

Bioeconomy starts Local – a Case study on Multi-Level Participative Governance and Circular Bioeconomy Development in Romania

2025-01-16T13:43:25+01:00

This paper examines the implementation of a multi-level participative governance approach to address demographic change in rural areas, with a focus on the local rural municipality of Ghelinta. The paper will present through a case study approach, strategical responds on rural-urban challenges. The project responds to the rural exodus driven by better employment opportunities and prospects in urban areas were realized, resulting in depopulation and an aging, increasingly unskilled population in rural regions. Utilizing Circular-Bioeconomy as a tool for regional development, the Godanubio project fostered sustainable economic practices by transitioning from a fossil-resource-based economy to one that emphasizes biological resources and processes. This strategy aims to enhance value creation through new collaborations, business models, and value chains, thereby increasing the attractiveness of rural areas for young people.

In Ghelinta, several working group meetings were conducted, involving young citizens in participatory governance and developing the 2021-2030 Local Bioeconomy Development Strategy. The key objectives of this strategy include fostering cooperation among local stakeholders, involving young people in the decision-making process within the local council, creating new business ideas in the bioeconomy sector, improving public services for young people, and providing training on bioeconomy topics.

The overarching aims are to mitigate the gap between rural and urban areas, increase the visibility and attractiveness of rural areas through the development of the bioeconomy sector, and improve the overall well-being in rural regions. The long-term goal is to enhance the socio-economic status of these regions, contribute to environmental, climate, carbon sequestration and resource protection, and foster sustainable development (Sebestyen, 2024). This research highlights the importance of an ecosystem for systematic multi-level governance, engaging actors from the public, academia, industry, and political decision-making. By creating space for co-creation and integrated urban-rural cooperation, the project aims to increase institutional capacity to tackle demographic change and promote the active involvement of societal actors in the political system.

Gender equality in Romania: challenges and progress

2025-01-16T13:53:35+01:00

The aim of the study is to examine the achievement of the fifth Sustainable Development Goal, gender equality, in Romania. Using quantitative research techniques, the analysis focuses on a number of social and economic variables, comparing them to the EU average to give a more complete picture of the state of affairs in the nation. The findings demonstrate that while Romania has come a long way in the last several decades, there are still many obstacles in the way of gender equality. Based on the analysis, the study proposes recommendations for developing necessary strategies at the political and social levels.

Urban empowerment factors and issues in the context of international networks

2025-01-16T14:04:31+01:00

City diplomacy, reflected in the increasing role of cities and the diminishing exclusivity of nation states in international relations, is a relatively recent phenomenon in scholarly literature. From the perspective of the nation state, it produces a vertical fragmentation of national foreign policy, while horizontal processes dominate the relations within international organisations (Marchetti 2021). Globalisation, metropolisation and the rise of networks are among the main explanatory variables behind the quest of cities to „gain a seat at the table of global diplomacy” in the post-Paris landscape of hybrid multilateralism (Bäckstrand et al. 2017, Dzebo et al. 2019). International regimes such as the UNFCCC framework rely on multistakeholder partnerships involving states and non-state actors (cities, regional governments, NGOs, corporations, financial institutions) that address global problems, with a view to improving the legitimacy of the international system. Networked forms of collaboration between cities transcend the multilateral frame, with soft power politics as the dominant means to achieving the common objectives of international organisations. The paper examines city diplomacy based on the exercise of soft power in various global policy fields. It argues that city diplomacy, as practised within transnational networks such as ICLEI, C40, U20 or the Global Covenant of Mayors, allows cities to tackle global challenges more efficiently whilst advancing their specific viewpoints and local interests in the international arena.

An attempt for analysing the agricultural performance and potential in Romania on NUTS3 county level

2025-01-16T14:15:40+01:00

Present study proposes to give a snapshot view on the Romanian agriculture regarding its potential and performance. The analysis is made with recent datasets referring to the year 2020. County level (NUTS3) calculations have been made to give a more detailed view of the territorial diversity of the Romanian agriculture. A scoring model had been constructed in order to reflect the agricultural potential and performance level of each Romanian county.

Leveraging Digital Transformation for Enhanced ESG Performance

2025-01-16T14:28:09+01:00

Digital transformation plays an important role in achieving ESG (environmental, social and governance) goals, as modern technologies support sustainability efforts. Digital tools such as cloud computing, smart robotics and IoT enable companies to manage their resources more efficiently, reduce their environmental footprint and operate more transparently. The aim of this study is to explore how digitalisation contributes to the success of ESG strategies, in particular environmental sustainability, and how it helps companies to achieve their sustainability goals, focusing especially on Hungarian companies.

The Role and Sustainability of Social Enterprises in the Hungarian Economy

2025-01-16T14:38:14+01:00

The economies of the Central and Eastern European countries have suffered a significant decline as a result of the geopolitical changes of 1989-90. A number of enterprises with low efficiency, obsolete technology and product structure closed down. The lack of new productive capacity led to a sharp rise in unemployment. The recession, inflation and employment problems particularly affected Hungary's regions. A series of social enterprises have been set up to improve employment in disadvantaged municipalities, as a result of local and government initiatives. In their study, the authors review their spatial distribution, their impact on the local economy and society, and the challenges related to the sustainability of their operations.

Market Dynamics at Play: The Convergence Phenomenon in Carbon Credit Project Valuations

2025-01-16T14:48:25+01:00

This study examines the capital market valuation of carbon trading projects in the growth stage, focusing on the impact of project size and classification. We analyze four projects launched in 2021 and 2022, using changes in market capitalization as a proxy for valuation, based on investor perception. A major conclusion of the paper is that the market capitalization of different projects converged over the study period. This phenomenon was evident despite the differences in the amount of capital raised, launching market caps, size of partner networks and timing of launching. We argue that the novelty of the sector fosters investor focus on sectoral narratives, leading to converging project valuations. This convergence in market capitalization should be factored into tokenomics design and market-making activities to ensure the financial sustainability of these blockchain projects.