The 50-year history of academic futures studies in Hungary

Abstract

Fifty years ago, in 1976, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS) recognized futures research as an independent scientific discipline. This chapter examines the antecedents, key stages, and characteristic features of the 50year history of futures in Hungary. Presenting each stage, it aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the specific social and science policy environment, its changes, and its internationally recognized theoretical and methodological developments. In Hungary, the early years of futures research – the late 1960s – coincided with a reform that was rare under socialism: the new economic mechanism. Embedded in this environment, the renewal of national economic planning was linked to the start of research into the theoretical and methodological foundations of futures research and the development of a complex vision for Hungary in 2000. Futures research underwent rapid development in the 1970s and 1980s and appeared on the international scientific scene, and after this it was referred to as ‘futures studies’. Its development was characterized by a clear distinction between forecasting and futures studies, the delineation of their relationship, and the emergence of futures studies as both a basic and applied discipline. After the regime change in 1989, futures studies in Hungary embarked on a path of rapid renewal. The most important realization was that, in a democratic society, the future orientation of institutions and people is decisive in shaping the future. Since the mid-2010s, especially following COVID-19, theoretical and methodological research and the practical implementation of integrated and participatory foresight activities have been flourishing.