1st Edition
The Political Economy of Hungarian Authoritarian Populism Capitalists without the Right Kind of Capital
This book emphasises the importance of state-business relations and external capital for structuring and strengthening authoritarian populism in Hungary. It argues these capitalist relations are crucial to understanding the economic aspects of this ideology, which has developed in the country since 2010. The book investigates both ‘internal’ and ‘external’ legs of the Hungarian political economy. First how a politically loyal national capital owning class has subsumed domestic business. Second the government’s operationalisation of ‘new’ inward transnational capital inflows – especially from China and Russia – to finance large-scale infrastructure projects, which complement extant investment particularly from Germany. Together, these developments have strengthened the hegemonic nature of Hungarian Authoritarian Populism, helping the government to continued electoral success. This model of governance is attractive to similar ideological expressions in the region and beyond who look for an example to emulate.
Acknowledgements
List of Tables
List of Figures
Introduction: The political economy of Hungarian authoritarian populism: capitalists without the right kind of capital
Part I: Capitalists without the right kind of capital: state-business relations under (Hungarian) authoritarian populism
Chapter one: The development of (Hungarian) authoritarian populism
Chapter two: Capitalists without the right kind of capital
Part II: Hungarian authoritarian populism at work: internal and external considerations
Chapter three: Fidesz and national capital: the government subsumes domestic business
Chapter four: Fidesz and Russian capital: The Paks II extension
Chapter five: Fidesz and Chinese capital: The Belgrade-Budapest railway upgrade
Part III: Authoritarian populism travels
Chapter six: The political economy of authoritarian populism: future trajectories
Index
Biography
Samuel Rogers is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Social Sciences and Global Studies at The Open University, UK and a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for East European Studies, Free University of Berlin, Germany
'In The Political Economy of Hungarian Authoritarian Populism, Rogers unpacks how Fidesz has created a regime-loyal capitalist class. But liberalism has suffered in the process. This book is an excellent addition for those wanting a deeper understanding of what populism in Hungary really means.' - Professor Adam Dixon, Edinburgh Business School
'Paraphrasing the first line of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, this book demonstrates that “well-functioning liberal democracies are all alike; every illiberal system malfunctions in its own way.” This is true for the system of Viktor Orbán cast in a new constitution and a nationalist ideology.' - Professor Péter Mihályi, Central European University
'The Political Economy of Hungarian Authoritarian Populism provides a groundbreaking perspective on the political economy of Eastern Europe. The book contains a fascinating account of Hungarian attempts to reduce dependence on Western multinationals by partially replacing them with national and Eastern capital.' - Andreas Nölke, Professor of Political Science, Goethe University
