Objectives and goals of the Institute

The Institute for Political Sciences of the HAS conducts theoretical, empirical and comparative research primarily in the field of political science, and to a considerable extent in the field of related social sciences as well. Its activity is characterised by a marked inter- and multidisciplinary approach. The task of IPSHAS is to continuously study Hungarian political life, to describe and interpret the decisive trends and to enrich the academic means necessary to that work.

The research activities of the Institute cover a broad area of topics. The assessment of the various aspects and consequences of systemic change was in the forefront of analysis in the 1990’s. Although it has not lost its importance, it has been enriched since by major international comparative studies. The emphasis has slowly shifted to the study of the process of the European integration. In the teams of the Institute several research projects are in progress that address problems related to the European Union accession of Hungary. Clearly it is not only the considerations belonging to the area of political science of the process that are studied, but those of philosophy, social theory, sociology and anthropology should be analysed as well.

The Institute has built up a broad domestic research network; it serves as a centre and a background institution for political science research conducted in several places in Hungary. Naturally academic co-operation with other domestic research organisations is also significant. The Institute participates in a number of international projects together with other Hungarian institutions. The number of presentations given at various academic conferences is impressive. A large part of them is given in the framework of academic co-operation, but the researchers also give account of the results of their work at various ad hoc events and carry on activities for the dissemination of knowledge.

Theoretical and methodological questions:

Basic research in political science, theory and methodology belong traditionally to the profile of our Institute. Topics such as the principles and foundations of political science and theoretical perspectives of politics in general all come under the above definition. Summaries of studies on the Hungarian political life and reviews on the state of art and various tendencies within the discipline are also included in this category.

Research related to the system of political institutions:

Research related to elections, to the various state institutions and the parties can be listed under this heading. The researchers investigate not only the institutional changes caused by the systemic change, but also the effects of the European integration on the Hungarian political system.

Researches into political sociology:

The empirical and theoretical study of the reshuffled social and economic structure after the system change is an important task of the Institute because of its relevance to national and local politics.

Research related to European integration:

While practically all of our research projects pay special attention to some aspects of the European integration of Hungary, special analysis are being done directly on the topic of the European Union. The research group for international and European politics studies and accession policy of the EU and their implications for the Hungarian adaptation policy and analyses the new challenges for the political, economic and legal culture of the country

Research in the area of sociology of values:

The project studies the changes occurred in the social consciousness, in the set of values and behavioural culture of Hungarian society in the context of accelerating globalisation and European integration. The study of the emergence of an European civil society is also in progress similarly to the work on the influence of the Eastern enlargement of the EU on the institutions, culture and identity/identities. The study of the border regions in the European Union as laboratories for transnational co-operation and the investigation of similar transborder activities between Hungary and its neighbours is a promising new research topic of the group.

List of research topics:

(In most cases the research area is focused on Hungary with comparative and theoretical approach)

elections (parliamentary, local)

society of underdeveloped regions

For more information on research topics and ongoing research please see the website of our institute as well:

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