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Communicating downgrading

For a few days Moody’s rating downgrading provided ammunition to everyone in the intensifying communication warfare. But while both sides of the political aisle engaged in mutual recriminations regarding the other side’s hypocrisy, a discussion of the underlying issues – whether the downgrading made sense and what impact it might have – fell by the...

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Popular attitudes towards the EU

Along with the public opinion research company Median, Policy Solutions took the opportunity to explore both, the public's view of the future Hungarian presidency and EU membership in general. While Hungarians may be slightly more sceptical towards the Union than a couple of years ago, overall they remain supportive of membership and optimistic abo...

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Take the money and run

In light of the opposition’s weakness, the government has chosen to go after new opponents: the working middle-classes. The effective nationalisation of mandatory private pension funds has aroused the ire of even many Fidesz-loyalists in this group, in which the governing party has been popular.

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Fidesz and the media: just another brick in the wall

The new media supervision law is stricter than the previous legislation, but by no means marks the end of the freedom of the press. As in many other areas, Fidesz thus far has not moved to advance its power by changing the legislative framework but rather by placing party loyalists in various independent positions.

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On education, a disunited System of National Unity

With Fidesz’ former education minister Zoltán Pokorni launching a frontal assault on Christian Democratic education policy, the key question is whether Pokorni is just an old-timer with little to lose or whether he remains a well-connected figure whose pronouncements mark a warning to the KDNP’s ambitious education policy-maker Rózsa Hoffmann that...

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Taking the fight for the Constitutional Court to the streets

The opposition can’t yet sway the masses, but Fidesz may gradually awaken the left-wing base from its deep slumber. Just in case, the left leaning parties and organisations are vying to offer them a wide and growing selection of leaders and organisations.

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Constitutional Court under fire

In revolutionary Hungary, the guns are fortunately silent. If all goes to plan, the inconvenient Constitutional Court will be, too.

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Rumours about the death of MSZP are greatly exaggerated

For the Socialists, there is a long tunnel ahead and it is far from clear whether the flickering lights in the distance herald redemption or just another station in the purgatory.

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Robin Hood Smells Blood

As some discerning analysts predicted, the bank tax was not the end-point but the beginning of a process wherein the government turns to certain corporate sectors to cover the budgetary shortfalls. Critically as economists might see it, politically the solution seems astute in light of the real world constraints facing the government.

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For now, red sludge proves politically uncontroversial

A first glimpse of the political dimensions of the red sludge disaster suggests that thus far little effort has been made to score political points off the crisis. But unfortunately the tragedy is far from over, and hence its potential political after-effects are also up for grabs…

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About Us

Policy Solutions is a progressive political research institute based in Budapest. It was founded in 2008 and it is committed to the values of liberal democracy, solidarity, equal opportunity, sustainability and European integration. The focus of Policy Solutions’ work is on understanding political processes in Hungary and the European Union. Among the pre-eminent areas of our research are the investigation of how the quality of democracy evolves, the analysis of factors driving euroscepticism, populism and the far-right, and election research. 

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