Baranyi, Béla

Sinóros-Szabó, Botond

Acta Agraria Debreceniensis

DEA University of Debrecen Electronic Archive

AGrárTUDomáNyI KözLEméNyEK, 2013/53.87Periphery formation and economic-social conflict Botond Sinóros-Szabó – Béla BaranyiUniversity of Debrecen Centre for Agricultural and Applied Economic Sciences, Debrecendrsinoros@hotmail.comSUMMARYThe timeliness, significance and importance of the study is sensitively shown by the fact that a large part of the Tisza region is slowly beingmoved to the periphery in the slowly modernising and changing economic and settlement spatial structure of the Great Plain. This situationis also deepened by the fact that the social and economic backlog increases in the majority of the region, as one third of the 33 mostdisadvantaged small regions in Hungary can be found here. This study basically contributes to the establishment of the development of the Tiszariver’s spatial environment and the development of new solutions. Keywords: Tisza spatial environment, peripheries, social and economic backlog, development strategyÖSSZEFOGLALÁSA tanulmány aktualitását, jelentőségét és fontosságát érzékenyen jelzi, hogy a Tisza-vidék nagy része a lassan modernizálódó és átalakulóalföldi gazdasági és települési térszerkezetben fokozatosan a perifériára kerül. A helyzetet súlyosbítja, hogy a társadalmi, gazdasági leszakadása térség nagyobb részén egyre fokozódik, az ország 33 leghátrányosabb helyzetű kistérségének 1/3-a itt található. A tanulmány alapvetőenhozzá járul a Tisza folyó térkörnyezete fejlesztésének megalapozásához, új megoldások kialakításához.Kulcsszavak: Tiszatér környezet, perifériák, társadalmi-, gazdasági leszakadás, fejlesztési stratégiaThe narrower-wider regions of the Tisa river haveplayed – sometimes a quite determining – role, whichwas very changing considering its content, in theregional development of the entire Great Plains. Untilthe last third of the 19th century, until river regulations,and until modern transport routes had been built up –by its extended water system, floods, fairway, and thediversification and relatively developed settlements ofits high bank reliefs, and crossing points – the GreatPlains had a determining developmental and regionalaxis. Since then, a half century has passed and changedthe general geographical and regional structure of theriver and its environment in a crucial way. The Tisa asbefore such an important developmental axis of theGreat Plains – essentially except for the still considerablenodes of crossings – lost its significance. A great part of the Tisza-region in the slowlymodernizing and changing economic and settlementaxis of the Great Plains – partly except for its centraland big cities – has gradually become marginalized.The carrying capacity of its agriculture has graduallydecreased, the development of its network infrastructurehas become lower than the otherwise low average ofthe Great Plains, the integrated „cohabitation” – thathas been formed in previous centuries of its settlementsand the society of its settlements have mostly ceasedwith the river. Lately, as one of the serious consequencesof the transition process in the narrower and widerenvironment of the Tisza, periphery formation has beenamplifying, problems associated with disadvantage andmultiple disadvantages have been accumulated, whichbecame bases for serious economic and social problemsand territorial conflicts at the same time. The situation is getting worse, due to the fact thatthe social-economic breakaway is increasing in thegreater part of the region, according to the statisticalindicators, a significant part of the region along theTisza-river outer (along the border) and inner periphery(11 sub regions supported by the most disadvantageouscomplex programme, 4 most disadvantageous, and 11disadvantageous (only 5 are not beneficiaries). Thethird sub region of the country (figure 3), which is inthe worst situation out of the 33 that can be found here(Tisza strategy… 2010).All in all, as the main characteristics of the under-developed, disadvantaged regions and declining subregions mainly the following may be mentioned:– significant developmental differences, regionalinequalities;– general social-economic underdevelopment;– disadvantage and multiple disadvantage;– acute, consistent and extremely high unemployment;– deep, structural crisis, general deterioration of theindustry („brown field areas”, regions that lackindustry, decline in the manufacturing industry etc.);– the decline of agriculture (sales crisis), the short-comings of the service sector;– poor infrastructural supply, accessibility and isolation;– long-term social crisis, the decline of the quality oflife and living conditions (segregation, extremepoverty);– deteriorating public safety (Baranyi, 2012).The disadvantage is formed generally and in a specificsituation based on the throng of causes and factors thatare unfavourable, amplifying and built on each other. Ifthe vast majority or all the factors determining the economic-social development are unfavourable, there may be multipledisadvantages in regional and environmental contextas well. Due to the complexity of disadvantageous orunfavourable indicators, multiple disadvantageousregions can be great geographical landscape areas,large regions (e.g. Great Plains, Tisza-region), planning-statistical developmental regions (e.g. Northern GreatPlains), sub regions that can also be homogenous natural,geographical landscape areas (e.g. Bodrogköz, Sárrét,Bereg, ormánság), or even so-called Central Bureauof Statistics sub regions, and more recently, complex,multi-purpose sub regional associations, and the districtsthat are under organisation. Nowadays, the most commonand extended presence of the peripheral, declining areas,so-called depressed regions are generally experienced atthe Southern and South-western corner of Transdanubia,and typically in the large region of the Great Plains,especially in the region of Northern Hungary includingthe 6 counties of the region of the Northern Great Plainsand the region of Northern Hungary, particularly theareas along the Tisza river, especially in the Northernand Central Tisza region (Baranyi, 2004).In connection with the latter facts, it could also besaid that within Hungary, actually in the entire EasternHungarian region, especially the social-economicsituation of North-eastern Hungary is considered to bea disadvantageous region in general, in its area thereare multiple disadvantaged regions (Bordrogköz,Taktaköz, Central-Tisza region, Bihar, Sárrét, Szatmár,Bereg, Cserehát, etc.) in great numbers, and the external(along the border) peripheries – partly emerging fromthem – and also the transitional regions between theinternal and external peripheries (e.g. the sub regionsof Encs, Szikszó, Fehérgyarmat, mátészalka, Sellye,Szigetvár). Simply put, it could be said that a significantpart of the areas, which are imaginary areas locatednorth of a line of Gyula-Szolnok-Balassagyarmat, containone of the widespread crisis regions of the country. As longas, for instance, the Great Plains large region – within itNorth-eastern Hungary – is a disadvantaged peripheralregion in the regional structure of the country, andcompared to it, its widespread areas and settlementsalong the border are also struggling areas with furtherdisadvantages, the „peripheries of the periphery”(Baranyi, 1999) (figure 1).Figure 1: Micro-regional development based on 67/2007.(VI.28.) National Assembly (NA) decisionSource: KSH regional Statistical yearbook (2008)A wide range of calculation and procedures haveserved the determination of the disadvantages of smallregions and municipalities for a long time. The bestknown and most widely used formal procedure takesinto account large groups of economic, infrastructural,social and employment data and a wide range ofstatistical data of their subsystems at the complexindex calculation measuring the sub-regions’ andmunicipalities’ socio-economic and infrastructuralbackwardness and/or development. The classificationof disadvantaged and the most disadvantaged regionsare prepared in this way from year to year based onspecial parliamentary resolution. At the moment, thegovernment regulation made on the basis of 67/2007.(VI. 28.) National Assembly decision regulates theclassification of disadvantaged micro-regions, of which48 are the most disadvantaged micro-regions, and 47were classified as disadvantaged, also expressing thatthe settlement related to the host small region belongsto the same classification. The third category ceased toexist in 2007, which took the most disadvantagedsettlements into account separately that did not belongto either one of the most disadvantaged micro regions.In terms of their socio-economic position the differencebetween sub-regions and their communities is reflectedby the superlative form of the word ”disadvantaged”.The common feature of disadvantaged areas is that theirsustainable development, possibly their integration,requires major internal and external developmentresources (figure 2).Figure 2: The position of the disadvantaged and the mostdisadvantaged micro-regions in Hungary (2007)Source: KSH regional Statistical yearbook (2008)The accumulation of disadvantage, also because ofthe historical and socialist development, appearedequally in the Great Plains including the Tisa river’snarrower and wider environment, with all its mutuallyreinforcing adverse impacts. The post processes of1989/90 transition modified – rather worsened – theoutlined situation, in the period of socialist development,despite all contradictions, industries, bringing significantbenefit position, especially heavy industry, and partlyagricultural processing industry were built off first, andformed the so called rust zones due to acute unemployment.The occurred processes of deindustrialisation equallyaffected the earlier advantage enjoying NorthernHungary, Great Plain, along the river Tisza and the South-Transdanubian areas and settlements. Considering thesocio-economic consequences of their fate, the historicalpast and present therefore can be linked (figure 2). The process which is very characteristic of theGreat Plains and the Tisza region and its environmentdemonstrates the characteristics of inner and outerperipheral formation best. Although internal and externalperipheries can be found throughout the country, typically,in the largest number and most widespread form, theyAGrárTUDomáNyI KözLEméNyEK, 2013/53.88AGrárTUDomáNyI KözLEméNyEK, 2013/53.occur in the Great Plains, and particularly in the NorthernGreat Plains, and in North-Eastern Hungary. In additionto what is being said, regarding the formation of periphery,the Great Plains shows perhaps most typically not onlythe historical antecedents, but the consequences ofhistorical processes and the characteristics of currentand after the regime change periphery formation. Allthis is important to emphasize because in the easternpart of Hungary in the decade following the transitionsocial and regional disparities have not decreased,indeed significantly increased in ownership, educational,cultural, employment, demographic, health, socialrelations. In the regions struggling with structural andtraditional disadvantages significant social, economicand territorial inner differentiation has taken place, andcompared to more advanced regions, in small regionsand municipalities in various (economic, infrastructural andsocial) areas a falling behind have occurred, meanwhileproblems arose, various new inequalities have again beencreated, especially in the acute employment crisis.regarding the perception of the characteristics of thesocio-economic development, the identity in the viewsbetween researchers is now quite large, particularlyregarding changes in the conditions and nature of socialprocesses, since the well-known historical symptoms ofthe „Plain Syndrome” affected the changes taking placein the society of the Great Plains most characteristically.The most characteristic manifestations of the Plainphenomenon include colorful diversity; underdevelopmentcarrying elements of development; the characteristic„emotional connection” and „landscape mentality”developed by the close interaction of the naturallandscape and social development; wilderness, frontiernature forming the specific social structure of the GreatPlains (which is primarily a social formula, and onlysecondarily an area development type); the peripheralnature of the Great Plains, in some extensive areas the„periphery of periphery” situation; disharmonic changesin economy and society, specific social developmentpath embodied in the non-compliance of social andeconomic development: peasant civilization, peasant-civil urban-agriculture development; unique GreatPlain settlements and urban development, and at all,many other unique features of the „Great Plain road”(Baranyi, 2002; 2011).The above described, historically specific „GreatPlain Way” of social development, which simultaneouslyrepresented relative underdevelopment and developmentfeatures, has got stuck during the historical, economic,and social changes over the past half-century. Examiningthe framework, is easy to see that among the old andnew factors influencing social processes (for example,the adverse consequences of the historical heritage,inherited traits of the traditional agricultural society,the farm system, commuting, selective migration,strengthening of the periphery situation, etc.) the recenteconomic crisis has been the most severe. All these bothseparately and together played a role in the establishmentof social specifics and regional differences (Baranyi,1985) (figure 3).The transition, the transformation of the Hungarianeconomy occurs again in an in-depth regional economicclimate. The basic characteristic of a regional crisis isthe collapse of the eastern part of the country. one ofits most obvious signs is that in the counties of easternHungary severe and persistent unemployment accompaniesthe transformation of the economy. radical ownership,structural and organizational transformation inherentwith the change of economic system of 1989/90 didnot improve the position of the peripheries of the largeregions. The disadvantageous position of the extensiveGreat Plain agricultural areas, rural areas did not relent,and even the real losers of socio-economic deconcentrationprocess were the settlements along the river Tisza.Compared to the centres built on the Budapest and the so-called industrial axis of the country, regions and settlementsbelonging to the whole Great Plains, including the Tiszaenvironment remained in a peripheral position, exten-sive border areas and inside regions trapped in an ”is-land situation” even have become the ”the periphery ofperipheries” (figure 1–3).Figure 3: The 33 most disadvantaged micro-regionsin Hungary (2009)Source: Net 1It remains an open question how the expectedbenefits of the country’s accession to the EU, in otherwords subsidies, will contribute to the radical changeof the center-periphery relationships, which will behighly needed for the promotion of the Hungarianconvergence of peripherals, the effectiveness of cohesionpolicy, because peripheral regions will hardly or not atall be able to emerge from the long-term crisis on theirown. From the perspective of regional development,the earlier prognoses can only be confirmed today thatthe immediate and wider area of the Tisza region, inparticular the economic-social convergence of thesettlements, municipalities located in its environmentbased on only their own resources can hardly beachieved in the near future, the lagging behind of thosewho cannot develop by their own may continue (Paksy,1992). may therefore remain the truth of GyörgyEnyedi’s (2005) general finding which particularlyapplies to the Great Plains, namely, that the history ofthe Great Plains is belatedness in a belated country,placed in the semi-periphery of the semi-periphery,considering its level of development the area is stillsemi-peripheral, somewhere on the periphery of theEuropean Union.89Baranyi B. (1985): A Tiszántúl átalakuló társadalma (1945–1978).A társadalmi átrétegződés fő folyamatai és történeti összefüg-gé sei a Tiszántúlon. Akadémiai Kiadó. Budapest. 200.Baranyi B. (2002): Új folyamatok az Alföld társadalmában. [In:Csatári B.–Timár J. (szerk.) Területfejlesztés, rendszerváltás ésaz Alföld.] magyarország az ezredforduló. IV. A területfej lesz -té si program tudományos megalapozása. mTA Társadalomkuta -tó Központ. Budapest. 29–58.Baranyi B. (2004): Gondolatok a perifériaképződés történeti előz -mé nyeiről és következményeiről. Tér és Társadalom. 2: 1–21.Baranyi B. (2011): Alföld – táj, régió, identitás. [In: Gecsényi L.–Izsák L. (szerk.) magyar Történettudomány az ezredfordulón. –Glatz Ferenc 70. születésnapjára.] ELTE Eötvös Kiadó – mTATársadalomkutató Központ. Budapest. 809–827.Baranyi B. (2012): Integrált területfejlesztés. (Elméleti jegyzet.). Bu-da pest. 178. in printEnyedi Gy. (2005): Európa peremén? [In: Nagy E.–Nagy G. (szerk.)Az Európai Unió bővítésének kihívásai – régiók a keleti peri fé -ri án III.] Alföld Kongresszus. 2003. november 28–29. Békés -csa ba. Nagyalföld Alapítvány. Békéscsaba. 7–11.Net 1: www. nfu.huPaksy G. (1992): A Tisza szerepe a térség területi, települése szer -ke zetének formálódásában. [Baukó Tamás (szerk.)] 101–105.Sinóros-Szabó B. (szerk.) (2012): Tiszatér-környezet stratégiai fej -lesztése. Keleti Háromhatár-Szeglet Kutató-Fejlesztő Központ.mátészalka.Tisza stratégia… (2010): [In: Koszorú L. et al. (szerk.) Tisza straté-gia megalapozása 2010.] Város–Teampannon Kft. Budapest. 90AGrárTUDomáNyI KözLEméNyEK, 2013/53.REFERENCES

Periphery formation and economic-social conflict

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Periphery formation and economic-social conflict

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