 |
HUNGARIA |
|
HUNGARIA |
RELATION WITH THE PROFESSION
As outlined in the historical overview in Section 1, there are two major tendencies when characterising the development of academic PA programmes and their perception in the Hungarian public administration. One is the dominance of law as a disciplinary approach and lawyers in all levels of governance. The other is the emergence of professionally and disciplinary different approaches to the problems of public administration.
First, clarification is needed regarding what is meant by the dominance of the legal profession. At first glance, numbers suggest a more balanced picture: the proportion of civil servants holding a law or College of Public Administration diploma, compared to the number of all civil servants having any MA or BA degree is 21.2%. Due to the limits of this report, factors which support the above perception regarding the “rule of law” (i.e. the dominance of law and legal professionals) are briefly outlined below.
It is problematic to simply compare the number of law graduates to the number of all civil servants having any kind of degree. The influence of the legal profession would much better be represented by its representation within managerial positions of the public administration. Expert judgements estimate the proportion of legal graduates in managerial positions, excluding the lowest levels of management, as between thirty and fifty percent. The only other professional-educational group that could compete for influence with the legal profession in managerial positions is that of economics graduates (or a comparable field). However, the estimated proportion of these officials in the entire population of civil servants is only eight to nine percent.
Public managers holding a degree other than a legal one are treated as specialists. They can be found mostly in sectoral ministries, or specialised deconcentrated self-governmental organs. This practice is also supported by law, which requires a substantial number of public management positions to be filled with individuals holding legal degrees. Thus, the proportion of law graduates in management positions of more influential administrative organisations (heads of local and county self-government administration) is even higher. In general, the higher the prestige of the position, the higher the proportion of law professionals.
The limited character of the set of academic programmes accepted as providing general public administration competence is also reflected by the qualification system of civil servants. The basic examination system generally obligatory for all civil servants, exempts only civil servants having either a degree in law, in economics, or who have graduated from the College of Public Administration. The specialised examination system compulsory for all public managers allows no exemptions, expect for law graduates having passed the bar exam. Thus, in order to get or maintain a managerial position, even graduates in public management or policy studies have to pass the exam, which is almost entirely legal in character.
Some explanation might be useful to better understand the relevance of this phenomenon. The growing dominance of the legal profession lies in several closely related factors. One cause might be that the dominant field of the “peaceful revolution” that transformed Hungary from a socialist to a liberal democratic state was the field of law. Thus, in order to create the legal and constitutional foundations of a democratic and capitalist society, while maintaining the basic operability of state functions, an enormous number of laws, legal norms, etc. had to be created and modified on all levels of government.
An additional factor has been (and is) that – in the process of creating the rule of law – interest groups and the broader public often perceived laws and legal norms as insurance for the effective protection and realisation of their interests. A legal norm already enacted is much more difficult to change or circumvent than a decision not based on law. These and other factors created great pressure, but also secured great power, to law both as a profession in public administration and as an academic field of study.
Legal norms, being the main purpose, tool and mediator within the public administration (and to a large extent in the wider political) system thus became, along with the legal profession, the common denominator of most policies. Finally, if law lies in the heart of every act of the administrative system (and a similar analysis could be made regarding the legislative process), the entire system seems to be self-enforcing, since it is hard to expect lawyers to create or pass anything that might significantly alter the status quo.
However, besides strong elements of discontinuity, the continuity of the Hungarian public administration must be noted. That is, the continental and “etatist” heritage that is rooted in the tradition is still maintained.
The general pattern outlined above applies more or less uniformly to the central government and the sub-national administration. Certain variations, noted earlier, can be detected in the functional status of individual public administrative organs. Due to the nature and requirements of their tasks, some administrative bodies (e.g. tax administration, flood control agencies, ministries dealing with financial, economic, and trade-related issues, etc.) follow this pattern to a lesser extent.
1. Access to the central and local administration
Graduates of public administration programmes are generally employed in the following fields within one to two years of completing their studies:
Central Administration:
- faculties of law: 4%;
- university faculties other than law: 25% (excluding those who were already working in public administration at the time of enrolling in the programme);
- the College of Public Administration: 10%.
Sub-National Administration:
- faculties of law: 5%;
- university faculties other than law: 5% (excluding those who were already working in public administration at the time of enrolling in the programme);
- the College of Public Administration: 20%.
The underlying reason for this pattern is that only a small percentage of graduates holding an MA in law seek employment in public administration. This percentage is larger in the case of graduates of policy- and management-oriented programmes, and larger in the case of graduates of the College of Public Administration. This pattern can be explained by the characteristics of supply and demand in the relevant labour markets. On the demand side, public administration positions are only able to offer modest remuneration and career opportunities. Private sector companies and, in particular, large corporations are able to offer significantly higher salaries for well-trained and committed young professionals. Furthermore, as a result of “workforce rationalisation campaigns,” the formerly unquestioned employment security in the civil service is eroding.
On the supply side, law and management professionals have flexible career options and are often attracted to the opportunities and prestige associated with corporate careers. This is true even considering the general phenomenon of law, management and policy professionals to have more rapid career advancement possibilities than other professionals. The main reason for an individual choosing public service is often professional and personal commitment rather than “rational consideration.”
Graduates of the College of Public Administration have more limited career opportunities and can either work in the civil service or enroll in post-graduate programmes offering MA degrees (e.g., law). Their career opportunities in large business corporations are more modest than those of law, business or similar programs, especially in the short term.
Another general tendency illustrated by the figures above is that graduates of faculties of law, management, business and the like, acquire employment in the central administration more often than in the sub-national administration. In the case of graduates of the College of Public Administration, this trend is reversed. This can be explained by the fact that, despite the uniform regulations on remuneration in the civil service, central government organisations pay approximately thirty to fifty percent higher salaries than regional and local authorities. Thus, the demand-side effect described in the context of the competition between public administration and the corporate world is similar between the central and sub-national administration.
The existing practice of recruitment – as opposed to hiring policies – is largely dependent on a broad set of uncontrollable variables. These include the existing system of Hungarian public administration, its deep-rooted traditions, culture and, not least, financial and other constraints. It is no wonder that individual higher education institutions are rarely able to actively and effectively engage in altering the status quo. Their attempts are more focused on either strengthening their current positions, or creating/broadening/breaking into new “market niches.”
2. Government Purchasing Research Services
The main means by which the government purchases research services from academic institutions is the National Foundation for Social Science Research (OKTK). This programme is financed by the central government with the goal of supporting research activities in various fields of the sciences. This is accomplished by a tender system, where funds are tendered in specific, defined areas. Nevertheless, the level of funding distributed for public administration-related research is fairly modest. Some additional funds of minor importance are awarded by various other entities.
[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ] [ Part 3 ] [ Part 4 ] [ Part 5 ] [ Part 6 ] [ Part 7 ] [ Part 8 ] [ Part 9 ] [ Annexes ]
