External help and the transformation of civic activism in Hungary

Szabó, Máté (author)

The political protest movements of the transformation period in Hungary have been institutionalised as political parties or in other organisational forms. They have become organised and formalised actors in the new democracy, while new social movements emerged with new forms of protest activities oriented to address new socio-political conflicts. Approaches to institutionalisation processes of social movements, "movementism," specific political cultures, and forms of action and organisation of socio-political movements were pushed back during the transformation into political organisations. The "established" civil society of former Communist countries strives for resources and experiences of Western democracies. However, Western support is also based on a scarcity of resources, a fact nor realised at the time of Communist constraints, when receiving Western aid was a risky activity undertaken only by few groups and individuals. A competitive market for low-risk support by Western agencies is being established. Civil society activists have to prove accountability, organisational skills, and social and media impact to be supported by Western donors. Intellectual capital and organisational infrastructure must be provided with managerial skills requiredby Western agencies as distributors of goods and organisers of programmes. A shift from informal social movements to differentiated types of NGOs takes place, as targets of Western aid and a competitive market of Eastern NGOs will be established for the external help.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Madžarska, tuja pomoč, preobrazba, civilna družba, protestna gibanja, Hungary, foreign aid, transformation, civil society, protest movement
• Work type: Not categorized
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Year: 2000
• Number of pages: Str. 55-70
• Numbering: Vol. 7, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-75891
• UDC: 32
• ISSN on article: 1318-3222
• COBISS.SI-ID: 19740509
• Publication date in RUL: 21.12.2015

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Javnost
• Shortened title: Javnost
• Publisher: Taylor&Francis
• ISSN: 1318-3222
• COBISS.SI-ID: 40119808

Secondary language

• Language: Unknown
• Title: Zunanja pomoč in preoblikovanje civilnega delovanja na Madžarskem

Abstract

Politična protestna gibanja iz obdobja transformacije na Madžarskem so bila institucionalizirana kot politične stranke ali v drugih organizacijskih oblikah. Spremenila so se v organizirane in formalizirane akterje nove demokracije, nova družbena gibanja pa se razvijajo v novih oblikah protestnega delovanja in so usmerjena k novim družbeno-političnim konfliktom. Civilna družba v nekdanjih komunističnih državah si prizadeva za podporo in išče zglede v zahodnih demokracijah. Toda tudi zahodna podpora temelji na omejenih virih, kar je bilo prikrito v časih komunističnih omejitev, ko je bilo prejemanje pomoči z zahoda tvegano početje, ki so se ga drznili le maloštevilni posamezniki in skupine. Zdaj nastaja konkurenčen trg za nizko rizično podporo zahodnih agencij. Civilnodružbeni aktivisti morajo pokazati odgovornost, organizacijske sposobnosti ter družbeni in medijski vpliv, da bi pridobili naklonjenost zahodnih donatorjev. Intelektualni kapital in organizacijsko infrastrukturo je treba razviti z upravljalskimi sposobnostmi, ki jih zahtevajo zahodne agencije kot dajalci pomoči in organizatorji programov.