Changing geography of the creative economy in Hungary at the beginning of the 21st century

The Hungarian economy has gone through rapid transformation and modernization since the political changes of 1989/90. One of the signs of successful economic restructuring and re-integration to the world economy was the growing role of creative economy. In the present paper we analyse the changing geographical pattern of creative economy in Hungary, based on longitudinal statistical data. Our findings suggest growing core-periphery relations in the spatial pattern of creative economy, especially cince the recent financial crisis. The relative weight of Budapest and its urban region has been continuously growing and even major regional centres are unable to keep pace with the Hungarian capital. We also found that cities in the Hungarian urban system became highly differentiated according to their attractiveness for creative firms and labour, and there is a growing competition among secondary cities for knowledge based and creative activities. The growing geographical concentration of the creative economy (especially the knowledge intensive industries) is partly the result of previous neoliberal regional and urban policies

Az állam szerepe a városi terek fogyasztás-központú „újratermelésében” = State agency in the consumption-centred restructuring of urban spaces

A városi terek fogyasztásközpontú átalakítása, a folyamat szereplői és viszonyrendszereik a társadalmi-térbeli egyenlőtlenségek kritikai megközelítésű kutatásának fontos kérdéskörévé vált az utóbbi két évtizedben. A fogyasztás dinamikus társadalmi viszonyrendszerként történő értelmezéséből kiindulva – amellyel egyszerre ragadható meg a fennálló társadalmi struktúrák működése, kulturális logikája, és az egyén (mint fogyasztó) ezekre adott válasza – az állam piaci szabályozó-ellenőrző szerepét, pontosabban ennek és társadalmi-térbeli egyenlőtlenségeket „termelő” mechanizmusait mutatjuk be a magyarországi (posztszocialista) átmenet és „perifériás” kapitalizmus kontextusában. Koncepciónkban az állam a piaci szereplők közötti viszonyok alakítója szabályozók és intézményi gyakorlatok révén, amelyek lenyomatai az állam működését formáló társadalmi/hatalmi-térbeli viszonyoknak. Az állam fogyasztáshoz kapcsolódó, egyenlőtlenségeket „termelő” szerepe több térbeli léptékben és dimenzióban is megragadható, tanulmányunkban azonban a városi terekben zajló folyamatokra koncentrálunk. Elemzésünk empirikus része győri esettanulmányra épül, amelynek során kvalitatív módszerekkel próbáltuk feltárni a helyi állam és a többi szereplő viszonyát. A tanulmányban a mellett érvelünk, hogy (i) a fogyasztás szervezeti és térbeli kereteit alakító szabályozás alapvetően a városi gazdaságok/terek fogyasztásközpontú átalakítása irányába hatott, az ebben résztvevők körét a piaci szelekcióra „bízva”; ii) az előbbi folyamatok eredményként kialakult koniktusok egyrészt lassan és inkonzisztens módon formálódó állami szabályozás, és a mögötte húzódó, tőke/állam kapcsolatok metszetében, másrészt a központi állam/lokális állam változó viszonyrendszerében értelmezhetők; (iii) a városi terek fogyasztásközpontú átrendeződésében fölfedezhető a (perifériás kapitalizmusra jellemző) függőségi viszonyok bonyolult rendszere, ami a „sikeresnek” tekintett városok helyi szereplőinek mozgásterét is behatárolja

Flea markets in the space - Typology and spatial characteristics of second-hand retail in Budapest

Nowadays the term “used items” has a rather rich connotation, thus their retail trade has also diversified, has broken into several segments. This study first defines the aspects according to which the different types of second-hand retail trade can be classified, then – on the basis of this – it describes the types and sub-types of the sector. Based on Hungarian and foreign literature, considering the profile of second-hand retailers we can distinguish fairs (antique fair, car boot sale, and garage sale), markets (flea market, burse) and shops (secondhand clothes shop, vintage shop, flea shops, charity shops, antique shop and shops with additional functions). The study based on primary research also classifies the different retail units on the basis of their location, product range, opening hours and their operators. Then with GIS methods the spatial distribution of used item retailers in Budapest is represented on a map, finally the data is analysed. In 2016 the majority of second-hand retail units was antique shops and second-hand clothes shops, but the market was enriched with flea shops, thrift stores and flea markets as well. The study points out that due to their functions in the market, the different types show spatial characteristics, the different shops are concentrated in different parts of the capital

The unbearable closeness of the East: embodied micro-economies of difference, belonging, and intersecting marginalities in post-socialist Berlin

This article examines micro-politics of belonging in the post-socialist outskirts of Berlin- Marzahn, one of new urban immigrant settlement areas in Europe. More specifically, it focuses on what locals perceive as an acceptance-precluding conspicuous presence of nominally white immigrants of German ancestry from the former Soviet Union, the Aussiedler (resettlers). Thus the paper outlines how long-term residents read and interpret these immigrants’ everyday embodiments, constructing what I call micro-economies of embodied difference, in order to mark the latter as Eastern-European and thus non-belonging. In order to make sense of such practices, the article examines the embeddedness of this suburban locality in extra-local politics of belonging, showing how Marzahn and its old-time residents have themselves become postwall Berlin’s (and Germany’s) internal Others, saturated with uncommodifiable traces of now denigrated state-socialist Easternness. I suggest that in such a context these residents’ practice of ascription of the unwanted Easternness to recent immigrants works to deflect it in order to buttress their own claims to full membership citizenship in the unified Germany they feel they have been excluded from so far

Industry 4.0 and the future of manufacturing. Theoretical base and empirical analyses

A new industrial revolution \u2013 also called \u201cIndustry 4.0\u201d \u2013 is unfolding fueled by the introduction of broadly interconnected digital technologies, including the Internet of Things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing. Many industries are witnessing the entrance of new players integrating new technologies into disruptive business models; incumbents are also urged to rethink how they operate against trends that are expected to further accelerate in the current pandemic situation. The overarching aim of the research presented in this doctoral dissertation is to investigate to what extent Industry 4.0 represents a fundamental challenge to existing paradigms and requires researchers to modify their theoretical frameworks to approach emerging issues. With this in mind, each chapter can be seen as a step forward in journey whereby some core issues come progressively into focus. The starting point is a conceptual work analyzing the phenomenon \u2013 \u201cIndustry 4.0\u201d and similar labels \u2013 and its underlying technological and non-technological components. As a second step \u2013 under the assumption of Industry 4.0 having paradigmatic properties comparable to previous industrial revolutions \u2013 potential new configurations of manufacturing value chains are investigated. Through a future-oriented expert study, eight scenarios are conceived identifying critical drivers to value chain configurations. Finally, one of these critical drivers \u2013 data sharing in inter-organizational relationships \uac\u2013 is investigated through the development of a multiple case study analysis in the automotive sector. The contribution of this dissertation to the academic debate is at least twofold. On the one hand, the research highlights the cornerstones of the phenomenon to make sense of its overarching features and building elements. This contributes to lay solid theoretical foundations needed to advance the understanding in the field. On the other hand, my empirical investigations suggest that several barriers counterbalance the technological drivers for change, posing significant questions as for when and how the future of manufacturing will materialize. Overall, an approach focused on understanding how technologies influence the assumptions behind the current reasoning might lead at a synthesis between \u201cold\u201d and \u201cnew\u201d elements in the Industry 4.0 phenomenon