University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences The floating meso in Hungary Ilona Pálné Kovács, László Kákai University of Pécs, CERS, HAS World congress of IPSA, Montreal, 2014.

University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences Aim of the paper Explaining failures of reforms of meso level governance in Hungary by introducing the reform processes implemented (mostly) from the systemic change in 1990 analysing networks at meso level contrasting the top down and bottom up regionalism

University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences Theoretical backgrounds Rescaling (territorial choice)- changes both in the content and the scale (Gualini, 2006, Baldersheim-Rose, 2010) Power shifts: jumping of power among levels and actors (Swyngedouw, 2000) Europeanisation, conditionalism (Hughes, Sasse and Gordon, 2004) New regionalism (Keating, 2004) + social capital (Putnam, 1993, 2000)

University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences Historical context in Hungary (path dependency) Strong and long (1000 years) traditions of centralization The meso (county) was always dominant territorial level mostly as an agent of the central government Self governments, municipalities were not embedded enough into local socitey

University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences The story line after 1990 Restructuring of the power modell (1990) Reform steps, rescaling or mapdrawing competition ( 1996, 1998, 2004) Jungle of geographical units 2010 total turn, meso belongs again to the centre „empty map”,

University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences Municipal and territorial units

University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences Contrasting the top down regionalisation and bottom up regionalism Top down regionalisation: imitation, centralisation Motivation: absorption of EU money Missing consultation, transparency Administrative, formal logic Lost cohesion, growing polarisation Bottom up regionalism: decentralisation Being interested in Identity-building Informal logic: territorial, local networks Social support (capital)

University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences Networks in South Transdanubia (2003, SNA)

University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences 0 Personal networks in the region, 2008 Strength of connections (by activity area) (index: 0 – weak, 100 – strong)

University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences How much influence of actors (survey in )

University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences Further research questions The role of governance traditions and political values Decentralisation at meso level: who’s interest? Reform capacity, veto-players ( more enemies than friends) It is a challenge to convince central government and even local society of importance of the meso The meso is almost always floating and needs more attention from political science as well

University of Pécs HAS Institute for Regional Sciences Thank you for your attention and comments! Ilona Pálné Kovács: László Kákai: