Corruption as a Deviant Social Attitude

Corruption is a specific field of cooperation between social sectors. Corruption is a deviant behaviour, which can be traced back to several causes: the nature of economic and social regime as well as cultural aspects. The aim of corruption is to obtain advantages. The private advantages, however, are usually accompanied by significant social disadvantages. Corrupt behaviour often becomes a social norm. This paper analyses corruption as a deviant social attitude. Examining the countries of the Central Eastern European region, it states that they are moderately infected with corruption, which requires a national strategy against corruption and the establishment of institutional conditions for the implementation of the strategy. The paper underlines that corruption should be addressed not only within a national framework, it is also necessary to build up close co-operation among countries belonging to the same socio-economic system.integrity, norm, bribery, State Audit Office, public funds

Challenges, changes, alternatives for SMES (and the theory of "degrowth")

To find and adopt those products, solutions, technologies that are suitable for profitable production and ensure viability at the same time is one of the basic tasks of sustainable economy. Viable enterprise means to earn enough revenue to cover all the costs, including the costs of investment and innovation, to operate in an effective way, to "balance" (equilibrate) with the limited resources, (natural, renewable) notwithstanding the limitation of growth. In the study the new paradigm of "degrowth" is examined along the potential alternatives opened for SMEs, based on thoughts of Serge Latouche. In the paper it is summarized the main characteristics of innovative strategies for SMES in agriculture, too. The new values (Réévaluer - reappraise) suggest the intent of preserving the nature at least in the nowadays condition. Precision agriculture is a tool in this and allows the efficient use of natural resources (Restructurer - restructuring factors of production). Each farming strategy in which the farmers' cooperation is the base of an efficient machinery use (Restructurer - restructuring of social relationships), each technology that reduces the human-health risk (Réduire - reduction) shows into the direction of degrowth. We believe that we will not be able to carry out sustainable economy without strengthening the SMEs, helping them to find their successful way/strategy on development, being innovative and to cooperate with each other. Values, attitudes, networks, trust, openness are important to both individual and social utility coincidence that promotes the sustainability of being viable, competitive in wider meaning: future orientation, ability to renew (development, imitation, synthesis), economic/social cooperation

Cooperation among farmers for cost saving machinery

The agriculture of the Central-Eastern European countries were considerably transformed during the 1990s. The property structure became fragmented, arable land and means of farming were privatized by different methods in different countries and - as a consequence of this - the hegemony of large-scale farming was wound up but to different degrees. Most of the newly formed small farms had no appropriate equipment and power machines for performing competitive production. The integration of these countries into the European Union has brought significant changes which further strengthened the need for competitiveness. Producers in the agriculture of Western European countries represent major market power due to the cooperation models (cooperative movements, machine and farm ring movement, producer organisations, etc.), but requirements of productivity, efficiency and profitability are also highlighted within these cooperation arrangements. The paper focuses on cooperation arrangements for joint machinery use and examines the factors affecting their expansion. The starting point of examinations is a former situation analysis made about the equipment supply of agricultural plans of a Romanian settlement and the cooperation willingness of producers. The survey which was carried out in 2002, was complemented by primary research through deep interviews in 2012, during which the observable changes and the impacts of access to the European Union were explored

Changes in cereal land use and production level in the European Union during the period 1999-2009, focusing on New Member States

The decrease in the area of arable land has further continued in the European Union (EU) since the Millennium. Sustainable development is partially based on the sustainable use of natural resources, which is based on the limitation of land use and on the introduction of different incentives. Previous direct subsidies resulted in increased production. The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has aimed to stop the increase in production, possibly even to decrease production. The objective of this research is to show whether such an effect on land use and on the change of production structure in the EU can be observed. Analyses have shown that agricultural and arable areas have further decreased within land use since the Millennium, continuing the previously characteristic trend in the EU. The proportion and the yield of cereals in the production structure have increased. We conclude that in this respect the effects of the CAP on agriculture are the opposite to its original aims

Economic benefits of precision weed control and why its uptake is so slow

Innovation in agriculture ensures the widespread use of the most up-to-date technology. One such technology is precision crop protection, which meets the requirement of environmental and economic sustainability. The applicability of precision crop protection has been verified by several studies and in practice, but its uptake is very slow. Examining the economic relationships between potential savings and pests at the European Union level, this paper shows that the savings in pesticide use following the adoption of precision plant protection can be 30,000 tonnes (calculated using the current dose levels) per annum. If approximately 30 per cent of the crop producing and mixed farms larger than 16 ESU apply this new technology, the environmental burden will be reduced by 10-35 per cent. From a survey of 72 Hungarian farmers we found a positive correlation between the size of the farm and the adoption of precision farming technology, and those farmers in the survey that had implemented precision crop production estimated that the consequent change in income had been positive. Thus, at a certain farm size and farming intensity, precision crop production is a real, environmental friendly farming strategy option, through which each farm can generate an income that covers at least the economic conditions of simple production. By encouraging environmentally friendly farming practice, precision crop production can meet the requirements of the proposed green component of Pillar 1 of the Common Agricultural Policy for the period 2014-2020

Role of agricultural innovation in matching the „greening component” of CAP (Case of site-specific crop production)

It is frequently mentioned, that one of the key elements of strengthening the SMEs is the permanent renewal, the capability for innovation. It is also true in the case of agriculture. From one point of view, i nnovation in agriculture ensures the widespread use of the most up - to - date technology. Lots of new solutions have been implemented rapidly that are connected to animal health questions, precision technologies, chemical usage, irrigation, etc. in the last decades. These new solutions sometimes are really new inputs of the production, machines, technologies but some of them are new managerial technics as well . Here the role of agricultural extension services, knowledge centres, experimental farms are important. Our opinion is that observing the good practice, adoption and/or adaption – the imitation – should get higher function in everyday life. Site - specific farming is a holistic system, a technology that allows target oriented treatments, thus managing the spatial and temporal variability within an ecosystem, by applying spot treatment applications. It has been shown t hat the implementation of site - specific crop production can result in savings in the use of pesticides, while savings can also be expected regarding fertiliser use, depending on the objective of production. This technology is the result of a longer innovat ion process that can be characterised as a technology - push one. Although it is compatible with ecological, economic and social sustainability its real diffusion is not so fast that it can be. The question is whether has any role of precision crop productio n in meeting the requirements of the “green component” of Pillar 1 of the European Union’s (EU ’s ) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2014 - 2020? Is this technology intended to encourage environmentally friendly farming practice? Precision farmi ng is an abiotic factor, which is the ultimate tool for the reform of agricultural production

Possible Smart City Solutions in the Fight against Black Economy

According to international statistics, Hungary has a high ratio of black economy. On December 31th of 2017, the number of registered corporations reached 1.7 million, of which 395 910 were registered in Budapest [1]. There is a clear need for such measures and developments that are aimed to track corporations at the e-government level, and such infocommunicational equipment and services that essentially promote the arrangement of data. Black employment is one of the most easily identified territories of the hidden economy. Employers must register the working hours, and they are also responsible for the factual, real and entire content of the registry. A number of entry systems are available which – besides ensuring electronic protection – are also suitable for registering the working hours. These systems, however, have both advantages and disadvantages, and different types of abuses have become widespread. The purpose of the study is to provide an overview of these systems based on their ability to reduce black employment and the limitations of their applicability from the point of data protection, with particular attention to the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union from 25 May 2018 in all member states. Employers manage data through their legitimate interest on web and telephone usage, control of emails, or even GPS-based location information. Likewise, legitimate interest is also the basis of the introduction of workplace monitoring systems. To reduce the size of the black economy, the use of an electronic system would be the most suitable tool – which would transfer the information extracted from the system to an immediate tax authority – based on the patterns of online cash registers or online billing programs. This, on the one hand, could provide the basis for the necessary identification and work documentation, but on the other hand, it raises the risk of excessive data handling, which is illegal

Rural life by the thought of the ‘de‑growth’ theory – in memoriam of Adam Sadowski

The paper is based on the paper presented at the 14th European Rural Development Network Conference, Budapest, 3–5 October 2016 and published in Rural Areas and Development, 14th issue, K. Takács‑György, I. Takács, A. Sadowski, What kind of new solutions do we need to increase efficiency of land usage? – case studies from Poland and Hungary (who wins?), p. 61–74; and it is also based on the following publications: Takács György, Takács 2016; Takács György K, Takács 2017.Katalin Takács‑György - Obuda UniversityIstván Takács - Obuda University657

Financial Risks of Local Governments Concerning Implementation of Their Social Political Aims

The local governments of settlements fulfi ll not only their basic duties but also a great deal of other tasks as well that infl uence the communities’ living conditions and quality of life, and through the way inhabitants feel also have an impact on the retention capacity of the settlements. The social policy of local governments is fulfi lled by the governments. Financing the tasks and their risks have a great effect on the realization of sustainable local governing. The aim of this study is to review the Hungarian local governmental system assessing some anomalies of the fi nancing of local governments and to draw attention to the risk of local governments, to the possibilities of how to reduce their operational risks highly considering the social political goals of the local governments, the role it has in developing and improving the people’s quality of life