Civil / Research, studies
The role of civic societies and civic projects in the development of the city of Debrecen Dr. Anna Mária Bartal – Dr. László Kákai – István Szabó The aim of the research is a comprehensive sociological-political analysis of civic society in the city of Debrecen. The primary aim of the research is to discover what role the civic society plays in the economic, social, and political development of the city and what kind of inequalities have developed between individual societies. Concentrating on the projects by and the connection networks of the civic societies, the research aims to reveal the types of societies forming the civil society in the city, what role these societies play in forming new connections and attitude patterns within the city, to what extent do their connections with the state, the municipality, the market and trans-national organizations form the role these societies played in the city. Research puts further emphasis on analysis of the connection between civic societies and the state and municipal organs, economic organizations, and institutions.
Non-profit organizations' representation of interest and their connections Dr. Anna Mária Bartal – Dr. László Kákai – István Szabó Simultaneously with the growth in the size and weight of the non-profit sector in Hungary during the past 12 years, the need for official representation of the sector has been articulated by many organizations. The legal and economic regulations, declaration of tax allowances, the measure and manner of granting of state subsidies, the location of foreign financial support and its availability - with special attention to the expanding sources available to our county's organizations due to the European integration process- are all issues that affect a significant part of the sector. The consequences of the relevant decisions must also be taken into account. There is a demand, with good reason, on behalf of the organizations, to be involved in the preparation of these decisions, that their opinion be asked, their proposals be considered by the decision makers, and their interest be represented properly. However, we know that, so far, all proposals and plans aimed at the set-up of an organization, chamber, or institution organizing the whole sector- have failed. No attempt has even been made to accomplish it properly. Organizations are justified to feel fear of and mistrust towards either an occasionally centrally created "forum for the representation of interests" or an organization which proclaims itself to be legitimate. On the other hand, they would consider the coming of any of the current top organizations to the forefront to be a build-up of a future hierarchy, and the loss of their own independence. The fairly heterogeneous nature of the sector must be considered when representing interests. A large portion of them perform such an activity that is practically unaffected by changes in the regulations, tax laws, and benefits. Perhaps due to this, they do not require their own representation. Any obligations or active participation required by the initiation of sector-level cooperation - fear of making their own operation public and of the growth of their administrative burden - would evoke aversion and protest. Therefore, answering the following questions is necessary for a successful representation of interesst, supported by the sector. |