Researchers from our institute have been awarded the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund (NRDI).

Veronika Patkós received support in the STARTING_25 category, which recognizes outstanding early-career researchers, for her project “How Do Societies Polarize and Depolarize?”  The project explores how societies become divided — and how they can come together again. It seeks to understand why ordinary disagreements sometimes escalate into deep divisions that threaten democracy, and how these processes can be reversed. By examining the roots and dynamics of polarisation across European societies, the research focuses on the role of core human values, political attitudes, and cultural contexts. Combining political, sociological, and psychological perspectives, the project aims to identify both the causes and possible solutions of polarisation. Ultimately, it aspires to support healthier democratic dialogue and stronger social cohesion.

Gergő Medve-Bálint was awarded funding in the ADVANCED_25 category for his project “The Social Embeddedness of National Growth Models in East-Central Europe.” 

This research examines how residents of four Central and Eastern European countries (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Lithuania) think about their national economies. What kind of economic growth do they consider desirable? Do they agree with what politicians and business leaders are saying? The project reveals the extent to which economic strategies (so-called "growth models") correspond to what people expect, demand, and consider fair. It also explores the role that governments and large corporations play in shaping and justifying these growth models. 

Why is this important? Because every growth model has winners and losers. For example, if wages are kept low to make the environment more attractive to foreign investors, workers may feel disadvantaged. If economic growth is based on credit and debt, it may eventually become unstable. And when the focus is on increasing corporate profits, this often comes at the expense of social spending. For a growth model to work in the long term and be sustainable, it must be socially embedded. This means that people must perceive the model as fair, legitimate, and consistent with their values. Otherwise, there is a risk of growing dissatisfaction, distrust of politics, and even support for radical parties. This project therefore, helps to shed light on whether current economic strategies are socially sustainable, and if not, how they could be rethought.