The time for social conservative government has come.
The decade and a half that has passed since 2010 has shown significant results in terms of social catch-up. Public service was a clear success, but so were many related government measures, including mandatory preschool education, family tax relief, various types of personal tax exemptions, social catering, free textbooks or free access to digital devices. Most of the disadvantaged were able to find a job in the primary labor market, the number of applicants for vocational training increased, the proportion of early school leavers decreased, and tax and contribution payments increased in several regions. Since 2010, these processes have been managed by the government for a long time and with confidence.
The prosperous economy appreciated and fairly paid those gypsies and the disadvantaged, who understood by the hundreds of thousands that now they could finally do something for themselves, i.e. they studied, trained themselves and took up a job. One of the lowest unemployment indicators in the European Union may not be considered a real result in Hungary today, even though this made it possible for low unemployment to burden the state coffers less compared to the times before 2010. By announcing a work-based society, the government offered the conditions for one of the most significant catch-up processes since the regime change.
At the same time, it must also be said that the consequences arising from the external difficulties caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus and the Ukrainian-Russian conflict cut off the chance of further climbing for the one to one and a half million people over the past years, most of whom tried and was also able to take advantage of the opportunities to catch up. This was also painful for them, because they were mostly gypsy and disadvantaged families who previously had no real chances to catch up, and during the crisis that followed the successful years, they were not prepared in advance for what to do when these clearly more favorable conditions suddenly run out, cease, and have to be adjusted anew. Many of them were not able to strengthen themselves to the extent (either financially, or in their outlook, attitude) that it would last until things could turn for the better again. This situation resulted in the fact that some indicators and tendencies turned in the wrong direction again in recent times, or reappeared and strengthened.
A number of researches are now again providing useful information about the fact that:
• the number and proportion of Roma and disadvantaged students in kindergarten education is increasing
• the number and proportion of Roma and disadvantaged students in primary school education increases
• the number and proportion of repeat first graders in primary school education increases
• the number of students in primary school education is decreasing in some counties
• domestic violence is increasing in disadvantaged areas
• the rate of early school leaving increases, primarily in disadvantaged areas
• the number of drug-related crimes in disadvantaged areas and communities is increasing - this generates particularly worrying processes
• the number of students with qualifications in certain occupations in short supply decreases in disadvantaged areas
• increases (fluctuation accelerates) in disadvantaged areas
There are still at least 300,000 inactive workers in the country, 50-60 percent of whom will never be able to enter the primary labor market. And the number of these inactive people will increase in the coming years.
Unfavorable processes have a strong impact on local communities, social and family relationships, the development of crime, the quality of education and health care, the success of professional acquisition and long-term placement on the labor market, the provision/guarantee of the provision of public services, and as a result of all this, the economic performance. The latter is an important aspect because in many cases by the government
the investments planned in the vicinity of disadvantaged areas simply cannot employ as many local usable workers as they should, so they need guest workers,
while the growing number of disadvantaged people in the region will also have to be taken care of in the future. A strange juxtaposition can be observed: on the one hand, domestic vocational training is on an excellent foundation, and not only the technical school, but also the three-year vocational acquisition process is strong enough to ensure that the students who have obtained the qualification are immediately employed on the labor market. According to the market participants, the dual training is also a success, there are queues for young people starting careers in the professions that are in short supply. At the same time, it is painful to see that in many places, especially in Roma and disadvantaged families, it is still not sufficiently clear how much this situation should be valued, and the possibility that someone can immediately find a job at the age of 18, and with the tax exemption up to the age of 25 you can be a part of real social catch-up. And for this, nothing else is needed, just that they acquire a vocational qualification after primary school and start working. The government provides everything for this, the rest is up to them. All of this is a perfect reflection of the system of relations in which the state constantly offers opportunities, but fails to utilize them in a way that could serve the interests of society as a whole.
It must finally be said that the opportunity offered by the government cannot be lived, but must be lived!
Members of vulnerable groups must be aware of their own responsibility in relation to certain processes, events and decisions. This is rightly expected by society as a whole. Based on this, it is necessary to create a broad public consensus in which the majority community (in addition to remaining inclusive and supportive) can do as much - it can certainly be tolerated! – to put pressure on the social group involved in catching up, so that their members understand and know that they too have something to do in order not to drag the whole of society down with them.
How can social decline be stopped?
In my opinion, social catch-up should be treated primarily as an economic issue. At the same time, classical social aspects must also be seen in the current conditions. We need a pragmatic approach that does not philosophize much, but immediately offers the possibility of choosing a better solution, but only in such a way that it is not abused by individual target groups. As a first step, it will be necessary for the civil government to undertake and introduce into the public consciousness as soon as possible the
"Social conservative social, educational and economic policy"
concept, i.e. the "socially conservative turn", and the current development and catch-up policy will also be subordinated to it.
This means an approach in which:
• the government understands that the period of social decline demands a more open and lenient social policy habit from the state itself at all levels
• at the same time, precisely in order to slow down and stop social decline, the state asks everyone to adopt a more pro-order (read: conservative) attitude in order to ensure that the tools that can help social integration are properly used by those who need help (these are primarily education, the labor market and tax system)
• decisive and tough action is necessary against all factors that have eroded (indeed, destroyed!) the system of resources helping to catch up over the past years (education, labor market, tax system, health care, relations with public service providers, family relationships)
• the motto of "you can't live with a chance, but you have to live", which practically expects the person and community involved in the catch-up to be an active part of the catch-up themselves, and to accept the offered help and use it properly.
This approach is currently part of social discourse, even if it is not reflected in party programs. At the same time, only this type of approach is acceptable for the responsible state in the current situation. The government has already tried to use some of its elements in the past, but no one has clearly defined what real social conservatism can be like. Now may be the time for that too.
It would not be a surprise if, in the fall of 2024, the Prime Minister makes minor or major changes in the government structure. If this is the case, a number of initiatives could be given the green light, which have been on the table during various consultations in recent months, but no decision has yet been made on them.
Since regaining the momentum of human development (social catch-up) will be key in the future, I really hope that the mentioned social conservative approach will appear at the government level and that decisions and changes that help it can be made. For these, I recommend the professional policy discussion of the following issues:
• Creation of an independent Ministry of Culture and Education
• Consideration of a mandatory school age of 17
• Establishing school centers - at the same time, transforming local underutilized schools into classroom centers
• Voluntary-based residential school program at county level (providing 500 places in each county)
• Rental housing development program based on a dormitory recycling program, primarily for families starting careers, newlyweds, and elderly people living alone
• Creation of the post of ministerial commissioner responsible for the development of vocational training in disadvantaged areas
• Development of an independent workforce stability strategy, with particular attention to disadvantaged areas and priority state investments
• Closer cooperation with labor hire and labor broker market players, even offering state incentives to them in order to create labor stability in disadvantaged areas
• Launching new programs that provide priority public services in cooperation with the government, or jointly with large state-owned companies, that support job placement in disadvantaged areas and for the affected communities
• Creation of the post of ministerial commissioner responsible for the labor market development of disadvantaged regions and communities
• Reform of the normative financing of settlements in disadvantaged areas
• Creation of the post of ministerial commissioner for regional development of disadvantaged areas
• A stricter drug law, the introduction of the institution of community detention
• Stronger action against intimate partner violence, education of intimate partner knowledge from the age of 12
• Introduction of debt collection moratorium and debt collection discount
• State funding program for disadvantaged children, supplementing the family allowance against hygiene poverty (St. Margaret's Voucher)
• Priority military and law enforcement career program in disadvantaged areas
• Starting priority energy security and waste management (environmental protection) programs in disadvantaged areas
• Work force expansion and wage increase in the social sector - at the expense of EU funds.
These proposals can help the government to offer new tools and, at the same time, take a new approach to the social catch-up process. The program, which is also unique in the European Union as a whole, would undoubtedly require the use of European Union funds due to our country. If Brussels does not approve this, it will prevent the social catch-up of one to one and a half million people. That is why an agreement should be reached or forced during the consecutive EU presidency. If the funds are successfully obtained, based on the above, the momentum of social catch-up in Hungary will definitely be regained.
The author is an expert on Roma issues
Featured image: Árpád Földházi/Mandiner
