An article co-authored by András Igari, together with associate professors Pál Szabó and Ákos Jakobi from Eötvös Loránd University, has been published in the journal Tér és Társadalom (Space and Society). The study, titled “Multidisciplinary research methods and models for spatial spreading in light of diffusion processes related to the COVID-19 pandemic”, builds on the results of our colleagues’ PhD research, was prepared within the framework of an OTKA research grant grant awarded to a consortium of the HÉTFA Research Institute and the Department of Regional Science of Eötvös Loránd University
The article shows that research on spatial diffusion increasingly combines different theoretical approaches and analytical methods. Empirical findings related to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, information diffusion, and vaccination demonstrate that while the temporality of the studied diffusion processes could be described by the diffusion wave model, the spatial patterns of spread – such as hierarchical and neighbourhood-based diffusion – were only partly observed. The authors explain that this was partly due to the structure of the networks through which these phenomena spread, as well as the role of certain key actors in the diffusion process. The spread of these processes also contributed to the emergence of regional differences, reinforcing existing centre–periphery inequalities. The article further highlights that complex interactions could be observed between the spread of the pandemic, vaccines, and information.