Why Should Central and Eastern European Societies still be considered as Democracies at Risk? An Analysis of Labour Structure and Preferences for One-Party System

This article asks whether Central and Eastern European societies should be seen as fully consolidated democracies or whether they should still be considered as democracies at risk. Using the concept of embedded democracy developed by Wolfgang Merkel and the members of the project on Defective Democracies, this paper argues that Central and Eastern European societies should be defined as semi-consolidated democracies, since one of the three rings of external embeddedness (the ring concerning the social and economic requisites of democracy) still shows significant deficiencies. The main argument is that due to the presence of shortcomings in the socio-economic environment, the process of democratic stabilization in the region is still far from finished. This is primarily reflected in the attitudes of Eastern European citizens towards non-democratic forms of government. Due to the important democratizing role of welfare institutions, this paper also proposes the inclusion of welfare state efficiency as a key element in the measurement of democratic consolidation.East-Central Europe; East-Central Europe; democracy; democratization; democratization; welfare state

Futures Studies in the Interactive Society

This book consists of papers which were prepared within the framework of the research project (No. T 048539) entitled Futures Studies in the Interactive Society (project leader: Éva Hideg) and funded by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA) between 2005 and 2009. Some discuss the theoretical and methodological questions of futures studies and foresight; others present new approaches to or procedures of certain questions which are very important and topical from the perspective of forecast and foresight practice. Each study was conducted in pursuit of improvement in futures fields

The pharmaceutical distribution chain in the European Union: structure and impact on pharmaceutical prices

In an environment characterised by fragmentation in the market structure of wholesale and retail entities, significant diversity in terms of remuneration schemes as well as regulations pertaining to operational features of wholesale and retail entities, but also significant developments in policy and practice concerning distribution, the objective of this report, is twofold: First, to map the distribution chain in EU Member States, including the main actors in wholesaling and retailing, discuss the requirements to provide certain services and outline their sources of remuneration, both direct and indirect. Second, to collect and analyse data on distribution margins, fees and service requirements in the originator and generic markets in EU Member States with a view to understanding the impact the distribution chain is having on the prices of reimbursable prescription only medicines (POMs). The report does not address issues relating to over-the-counter (OTC) medications

The relations between secondary vocational wildlife management training and the labor market in the dual education system

Hungary has a long history of training professional hunters and the quality of wildlife management is world-renowned. In my work, I used databases of professional organisations and questionnaire surveys to investigate the factors determining the training of professional hunters at the secondary level and the labour market conditions. Comparing the training conditions of neighbouring countries and Germany, it is clear that the training of professional hunters takes place in the highest number of institutions, with the longest, 5-year training period in Hungary. In the previous decades, Hungary has seen an increase in the number of training institutions, which has clearly led to an overeducation compared to the number of workplaces. The age distribution of active professional hunters shows that graduated professionals do not appear in the labour market. This is mainly due to the poor financial and moral standing of professionals. The feedback from those exercising the hunting rights is that it is difficult to find suitable professionals, while they are open to providing internships and participating in vocational training. The intention of employers and employees, the framework curriculum introduced in 2020, and the government's Vocational Training 4.0 strategy open up a new dimension in quality, dual secondary vocational training in wildlife management