Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Research Institute of Sociology
Address: 1014 Budapest, Úri u. 49.; 1250 Budapest, Pf. 20
Tel: 224–6740; fax: 224–6741
Email: tamas@socio.mta.hu; Web: www.socio.mta.hu

Similarly to the past few years, the great international projects and the data surveys of the strategic work dominated the institute’s research. A prominent role has been designated to risk management and the preservation of the environment as well as technology and knowledge-economy, work-and organization sociology and the research of culture. Considerable time has been devoted to research concerning social roles and politics as well. The greater part of the institute’s work is of dual use, due to the demand for empirical data processing. The results can be used for the preparation and testing of social-political strategies, the collected data for creating basic research synthesis.

I. Main national relations

The institute did not accept orders from the competitive sector. Its relationship with the National Development Project has become more important due to the increased demand by public administration for analysis. The main projects were supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and Transport, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Environment and Water as well as the Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister’s Office. The expert committees appointed by the government which reviewed the fundamentals of church politics of the Hungarian state, worked on the premises of the institute. The researchers participated in the preparation of the professional strategies of the national conciliation bodies – especially on the area of the Social Contract. Our researchers teach in all of the biggest universities or their doctoral schools.

II. Main international relations

The institute gained three big EU projects in 2006 and five more are being prepared for the 7th framework. The following projects can be mentioned in the first place: the old-age programme associated with the Japanese Foundation; the HIV Prevention within High-Risk Social Networks – International Social Network Study research project, led by CAIR, Medical College of Wisconsin, sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, USA; (Luxemburg, Austria); and the bilateral exchange programmes with the CNRS and the Russian, the Polish, the Ukrainian, the Armenian and the Romanian Academies of Sciences. The institute contacted the OECD’s science-political and economy-strategic committees and made a bilateral agreement with the renowned social-science institute of Berlin (WZB) for the Third Word Countries – especially for the Balkan programmes. The institute is a member of a Central-European social research PhD training network located in Prague. It has expanded its cooperation with the Environment Political Institute of the United Nations University (Bonn), and has continued the global Water Programme of UNESCO (Paris). It has actively taken part in the programmes offered by the Soros Foundation which are supporting the reforms of social-scientific education in the large post-soviet universities (Petersburg, Llov, Harkov, Kisinyov). The institute is a prominent partner and continuous host of the Hungarian programmes of the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES). It has launched the preparation of those FES programmes in which it will be a joint-partner in some Balkan and East-European programmes.

III. Prominent research

European Social Survey (EUTE/ESS)
The institute, associated with MTA PTI and TARKI, continuously coordinates social-political data-survey of 28 countries for scientific reasons. The data survey assures unique sources for many investigations of Hungarian social-policy trends, sets them into an international context, and is becoming one of the most important sources of Hungarian social-politics and social-economic planning.

Hungary 2015; Hungary 2020 project
Working out the complex Hungarian future vision modelled the development of the Hungarian society and economy by the segment of competitiveness, sustainability, institutional reforms, social cohesion and knowledge-based society (connected to the criterions of EU, Lisbon) in the next decade. The results have been published in 7+1 volumes.

Delphi project
This opinion generating research revealed specific cross-over effects between the academic elite and prominent parliamentary and media figures.

Hungarian-Slovakian comparative complex training programme for closing the Romas (NKFP)
The Hungarian Roma research was started in 2005 and was going on in 2006 with the comparison of the Hungarian, Slovakian Roma politics. The processing of the results and comparing it with the Hungarian Equal opportunity policy will be realized in the next year.

Towards equal opportunities for small villages and villagers – Opportunities, development paths and good development practice in rural regions (NKFP) Researchers prepared role-plays in the research for the new regions and developed professional research network to generate provincial future images. The previous big conflict project referring to the regions was reassessed.

The societal determination of progress in school (NKTH)

WORKS – Work-organisation and restructuring the knowledge society (EU FP6);
MEADOW – Measuring the dynamics of organizations and work (EU FP6)
This work and organisation sociological research focuses on new technology, organisations of learning, corporate knowledge and varieties of capitalism. The process of corporate education was analysed in detail and it was shown how organizations cooperate in disseminating different types of knowledge.

KNOWandPOL - The role of knowledge in the construction and regulation of health and education policy in Europe: convergences and specificities among nations and sectors (EU FP6)

Learning from families in Europe – policies and practices to combat social exclusion amongst families with young children (EU)

III. Selected publications

Books and bookchapters

Havas G, Liskó I: Óvodától a szakmáig. Felsőoktatási Kutatóintézet – Új Mandátum, Bp, 2006, 213.

Kapitány Á, Kapitány G: Intézménymimika 2. Új Mandátum, Bp, 2006, 302.

Rozgonyi T, Jávor I: A szervezetek és a munka világa. L’Harmattan, Bp, 2006, 342.

Szalai J, Laki M: The puzzle of success: Hungarian entrepreneurs at the turn of the millennium WWICS EESP, Washington, 2006, 97.

Széman Zs, Pottyondy P: Idősek otthon. MMSZ – MTA SZKI, Bp, 2006, 210.

Takács J (ed.): A lélek műtétei. Új Mandátum, Bp, 2006, 289.

Tamás P: Fenntartható fejlődés Magyarországon. Jövőképek és forgatókönyvek. Új Mandátum, Bp, 2006, 511.

Tamás P (szerk.): A Vatikáni Munkabizottság jelentése a Kormánynak. Bp, 2006. november, 72. www.magyarorszag.hu

Tamás P: A tudásalapú társadalom kialakulása Magyarországon. Új Mandátum, Bp, 2006, 326.

Gábor Eröss (2007): In need of conflicts. Central European experiences. In: Eidelson, R. J., Laske, J., and Cherfas, L. (Eds). (2007). Peacemaker 101: Careers Confronting Conflict. Philadelphia, PA: Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict. pp. 341-350. (See also at: http://www.psych.upenn.edu/sacsec/eidelson/Peacemaker101.pdf )

Tamás Pál - Erőss Gábor - Tibori Tímea (eds.): Nemzetfelfogások, kisebbség-többség. [Conceptions of the nation. Minority and Majority], MTA U.M.K, Budapest, 2005. 340 p.

Publications in journals

Albert F, Dávid B: A kapcsolati tőke dimenziói etnikai metszetben. In: Társadalmi Riport, Szerk: Kolosi T, et al. TÁRKI, Bp, 2006, 351–372.

Antal ZL: Éghajlatváltozás és társadalmi változás. Vigília, 2006, 3, 47–71.

Makó Cs, Csizmadia P, Illéssy M: Does EU-Integration help the SMEs to explore new development path? Lessons from an International Comparative Project Instytut Pracy i Spraw Socjalnych, Warsaw, 2006, 163.

Messing V: Lukakból szőtt háló: háztartások közötti támogatási kapcsolatok roma és nem roma szegények körében. Ethnicity or poverty: kinship and community network among Roman and non-Roma poor, Szociológiai Szemle, 2006, 2, 37–54.

Neményi M, Kende A: Selection in education: the case of Roma children in Hungary, Equal Opportunities International 25 (7) 2006, 506–526.

Neményi M, Takács J: Changing Family – Changing Politics, Review of Sociology of the Hungarian Sociological Association 2006(2), 37–63.

Takács J, Amirkhanian Y, Kelly J, Kirsanova A, Khoursine R, Mocsonaki L: “Condoms Are Reliable but I Am Not“: A Qualitative Analysis of AIDS-Related Beliefs and Attitudes of Young Heterosexual Adults in Budapest, Hungary and St. Petersburg, Russia, Central European Journal of Public Health, 14(1) 2006, 59–66.

Tamás P: Információs Társadalom Közép-Európában. Elemző, 2006, 3, 122–147.

Tibori T: Az ifjúság fenntarthatósággal kapcsolatos várakozásai. In: Fenntartható fejlődés Magyarországon. Jövőképek és forgatókönyvek (Szerk. Bulla M, Tamás P), Új Mandátum, Bp, 2006, 372–401.

Vári A, Linnerooth–Bayer J, Thompson M: Floods and fairness in Hungary In: Clumsy solutions for a complex world (Ed. Verweij M. – Thompson M. – Rayner S, et al.), Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2006, 181–203.

Editing

Kultúra és Közösség; Társadalomkutatás; Módszertani Füzetek; East Central Europe/l’Europe du Centre–East; Working Paper series.

III. Main indicators of the scientific activity

Number of researchers: 41
Organization of scientific programmes: 7

Number of publications: 169
Number of employees in higher education: 11

Number of citations: 298
Number of national projects: 19

Number of scientific lectures: 87
Number of international projects: 16 (EU resource out of it: 9)