ABSTRACTS


Csontos, László
Max Weber on the Methodological Foundations
of Economic Theory

In the present essay I want to provide an explication or national reconstruction of Max Weber's early views on the methodological foundations of economic theory. As a by-product of the analysis, I hope to be able to show that there is a continuity between Weber's not yet fully formed ideas about the scope and method of economics and his more mature methodological position. My aim is almost purely analytical: I'm not going to discuss in detail the historical and intellectual context in which Weber first formulated his methodological creed, and I don't intend to reconstruct or deconstruct the common themes underlying the era's methodological debates (including the different stages of the famous Methodenstreit).

By presenting a rational reconstruction of Weber's ideas, I want to demonstrate that a better understanding of his methodological legacy is not only important in its own right but is also essential to a proper interpretation of the methodological groundwork of the social sciences. Although the technique of rational reconstruction can not (and does not) offer a unique and preclusive interpretation of the ideas to be explicated, it may contribute to creating the conditions for a rational discussion of alternative point of views.


Kovách, Imre
Post-socialism and Embourgeoisement

In the 70s and 80s one of the decisive models of Hungarian sociology was embourgeoisement. There is a dual tradition of the analysis of embourgeoisement: one concentrates more on class analysis, while the other is more interested in the complexity of social processes. The disputes on embourgeoisement have brought a consensus in the beginning of the decade only in so far as that it was expedient to analyse embourgeoisement together with its adjustment in several dimensions, namely to the micro environment, of the groups of society to the macro environment and to the relations of the market economy and also in the changes of the economic and social structure. There were four such fields to which practically all the participants of the dispute have attributed significance: enterprise and the transformation of economic mentality and the related social changes, individualisation, becoming a citizen and autonomy, the spread of the 'bourgeois' forms of lifestyle and mentality. The paper undertakes to analyse the processes of embourgeoisement of the post-socialist Hungarian society in these four fields, studying in detail the topics of the economic elite and bourgeoisie, the middle strata and small enterprises, rural embourgeoisement, autonomy and citizenship, individualisation and mentality.


Szabó, Máté
Protest Culture in Hungary after the Regime Change:
the Results of the Analysis of the Press (1989–1995)

The author analysed as a member of an international research group the protest events after 1989 in the Hungarian press. The study is based on the Hungarian part of the survey, which included German Democratic Republic, Poland, and Slovakia too. Protest events, as strikes, demonstrations, blockades, all forms of public mobilizations for specific sociopolitical targets by not fully institutionalized ways were documented in the full volumes of the leading three Hungarian dailies (Magyar Nemzet, Népszabadság, Magyar Hírlap) and in two weeklies (168 óra, HVG) in the periode of 1989–1995 for dailies, and 1989–1994 for the weeklies. Frequency, method, duration, goals, aims, effectivity of the protests in Hungary were analyzed based upon the press documentation. The generally non-violent character of post-communist protest culture was stated, and a shift from political to economic, from symbolic to instrumental character of the protests from 1989 to 1995. Among protesting organizations, the role of the parties is diminishing, and the role of trade-unions and of other non governmental organizations is stabilized or growing in the investigated periode according the press data.


Bozsonyi, Károly
Principles of Invariance in the Theory of Sociology
and in Empirical Research

In the present paper I intend to survey the most wide–spread models applied in contextual analysis, and tackle those methodological problems which emerge during their application. First, I will group the applied models on the basis of their mathematical properties, according to the views occuring in the literature and proposed by me. On the basis of a novel classificatory viewpoint, I will present a model, which is significantly different from the previous classical model, and I will discuss its theoretical as well as its empirical characteristics.

In the case of group-compositional models a novel classificatory viewpoint based on the invariancy-properties of the models were introduced. Accordingly, an alternative model was defined. Compared to the classical solutions, it has advantageous theoretical (coding-proof) and empirical (models devoid differential sensitivity can be completely specified even in the case of aggregate data) characteristics.


Medgyesi, Márton
Changes of Attitudes Related to Inequalities of Earning During the Course of Systemic Change

As a result of the evolution of market economy income differences have significantly grown in Hungary in the 90s. The process raises the issue how opinions and attitudes related to income inequalities have changed during that period. The paper analyses these issues with the help of regression analysis of representative samples from 1987 and 1992. The analysis shows that the attitude is most explained by the extent of inequality sensed, but it shows relationship to the respondent's income, qualifications, expectations and relative deprivation, and also to the person's ideological attitude. In relation to the changes of attitude it is demonstrated that, after the influence of complex elements is excluded, the respondents show less of an equalising attitude.