The consequences of freezing social allowance in rural Hungary and coping strategies developed by individuals and local decision makers interdisciplinary documentation.
The present research was initiated by the Pro Cserehát Association in cooperation with the Center for Policy Studies in the Central European University.
The main profile of our Association includes the complex regional development of disadvantaged communities, and the implementation of development programs aimed at providing employment and livelihood to the local population. In the course of our field work we saw that the unemployed Roma and non-Roma residents of these communities suffered the measures in question completely helpless, and powerless.
Therefore the objective of our research has been primarily an impact analysis i.e. to see how the cutting of the allowance, and linking it closely to public work impacts allowance recipient persons and groups directly or indirectly. The simplified version of our key question is this: what happens to the working age people unable to find a job for years when their monthly income of 28,500 HUF, tight already, is further cut by 20% to 22,800 HUF with the stated aim of encouraging finding employment, in a situation where the employment being ‘encouraged’ is made impossible by the scarcity or even complete lack of work opportunities?
We sought the answer to the key question of our research by means of a group of analytical and action research methods applying an interdisciplinary approach. We documented our findings in a multifaceted manner to enable understanding by as many people as possible, to communicate information and in the hope of encouraging change.
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