The capacities of civic organizations and municipal governments during the coronavirus pandemic
in Hungary
In 2020, a new coronavirus swept the world. With more than five million victims worldwide, the health and economic impact of the pandemic has spread to many areas of our lives and negatively affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Hungary. But a crisis of this magnitude is not only a source of despair and trouble; it is also an opportunity for change. What does it take for civic organizations to turn an existing crisis into an opportunity to implement long-awaited and even systemic changes? What are some good examples from Hungary during the Covid19 pandemic that we can learn from to be better prepared for another crisis? These questions drove our participatory action research project, launched in 2020. We summarize the results in this study.
The study was created as part of the School of Public Life’s The history and future of our struggles
participatory action research.
The School of Public Life is a grassroots civic education center dedicated to building a democratic and
just Hungary. We work for a world where everyone is able to participate in public life and decisionmaking regardless of their social status.
Authors: Zsófia Ádám, Cecília Lohász, Melinda Mihály, Zóra Molnár, Annajuli Rosenfeld, Bernadett
Sebály, Zsuzsanna Vass, Miklós Zsámboki
Project manager: Zóra Molnár
Research manager and editor: Bernadett Sebály
Methodology expert: Éva Tessza Udvarhelyi
Translation: Hungarian Freelance Translators and Interpreters Association (SZOFT)
Proofreading: Laura Hajdu, Zita Karácson and Zsuzsa Kertész
Typesetting and graphics: Kata Schiffer
