Informality as a safety net: civic agency and the crisis of local governments in Hungary – new research article by Luca Sára Bródy

Abstract

Most research on post-socialist civil society has focused on analysing the  characteristics that explain (the lack of) civic strength. Although recent research has highlighted the rise of urban activism, it has failed to look more closely at the agency of actors. By focusing on informal groups and their engagement in public affairs in the aftermath of the 2019 local elections in Hungary, this paper seeks to unravel the civic strategies and narratives that underpin informal civic resistance to political and institutional pressures at a time when both local municipalities and civil society are experiencing a gradual loss of autonomy.