Bálint Herczeg: Analysis of the institutional and social factors behind changes in the PISA test results

(only in Hungarian)

The study analyzes the trends in the results of PISA tests between 2006 and 2015. The study concludes that the negative trend might have been much steeper if the economic, social and cultural background of students had not improved in this period. Furthermore the change in the proportion of gender has also its impact. Negative trends in the results can be explained only to a small extent by the shift in proportion of different school types, the increasing number of problems concerning teaching staff and the decreasing autonomy of school directors.

Virág Zsár, Zsuzsanna Balázs, Enikő Virágh: Research management and administration: the relevance of special education and training programs

(in English)

The study presents analysis the current state-of-the-art of the profession of research managers and administrators (RMA). This in-depth analysis was carried out to check the feasibility and potential directions of an educational programme to be developed for RMA training underpinning the improvement of management capacities in the field of excellence-based research.

Tamás Szabó, Bálint Herczeg, Katalin Bördős: Investigating the factors influencing the entry into the export market and the size of the export volume in a micro simulation model

(only in Hungarian)

The study uses the Heckmann two-step estimator on a sample of 87,000 companies in the period between 2004 and 2018 to model the probability of entering foreign markets and the proportion of export in turnover. According to the results, previous export history, number of employees and productivity are the most determining factors.

Bálint Herczeg, Katalin Bördős, Viet Trinh: New ways to alleviate labour shortage by rethinking customer routes of the labour support system

(only in Hungarian)

The study examines the customer routes of all types of job-seekers based on data from 2016 provided by the National Employment Service. The results confirmed that the sequences of job-seekers and the tools and sevices offered by the labour support system vary based on the age and education of the job-seekers.

The studies were presented in the framework of the HÉTFA Conference which was transformed into an online event, given the new circumstances imposed by the global epidemic. The recording of the Zoom conference can be viewed on HÉTFA’s Youtube channel. The presentations of the lectures are available here.

The Conference was organized as part of the project “Research Strengthening the Capacity of Hungarian Public Policy-Making” supported by the Pallas Athene Domus Educationis Foundation.

]]> https://hetfa.eu/2018/04/%e2%80%8breka-geambasu-hungarian-family-businesses-in-abroad/ Tue, 10 Apr 2018 09:10:18 +0000 https://hetfa.eu/?p=1773 HETFA Working Paper No. 2017/22

Réka Geambaşu (2017): Hungarian family businesses in abroad. ISSN 2062-378X

The quantitative research carried out by HÉTFA Research Institute in 2017 among Hungarian family companies operating in neighbouring countries (Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia) was initiated with the aim of providing a missing supplementary examination of the family business sector.

This paper examines the relationship between family and entrepreneurship, the role of involved human capital (mainly family members) in the operation of business, and other issues related to management, strategy and succession.

Zsolt Szendrei, Vera Iváncsics, József Obertik, Zsolt Baranyai, Gábor Balás (2017): How much is a park worth? Preliminary impact assessment and cost-benefit analysis methodology on the example of “Millenáris Széllkapu”. ISSN 2062-378X

Examination of the return of public parking lots raises a number of methodological questions. The model developed by HÉTFA Research Institute consists of a cost-benefit analysis of a public park in urban environment and a preliminary examination of its return. The authors implemented the mechanism of action during the study and evaluated the costs and benefits of the project using domestic, international statistical and benchmark indicators with the help of the hedonic price method.

Based on the analysis, due to their significant external effects, park developments with a large population and high building density will become economically viable investments. Therefore it is worthwhile for decision-makers to take into consideration such developments in the future.

Bálint Herczeg (2017): Cost-benefit analysis of high school graduation. ISSN 2062-378X

In case of programmes targeting human resource development, evaluation shall not only focus on direct results and short-term effects. However, estimation of long-term impacts is difficult in case of programmes such as early childhood interventions, since the real effects may occur after one generation. Let’s suppose that we can estimate the impact of the programme on the probability of high school graduation. By doing so we could get a method to estimate what changes these programmes induce in the life of the targeted children.

The aim of the paper is to present a model which is able to estimate the long-term effects of childhood development and educational programmes and compare the costs with the resulting budgetary benefits. The model is illustrated by Bálint Herczeg based on the example of the Hungarian Safe Start Children Programme.

Károly Mike, Gábor Kiss (2017): Beyond the Informal/Formal Divide: How do Firms Combine Contract-enforcement Institutions? ISSN 2062-378X

In this paper Károly Mike and Gábor Kiss explore how a broad range of contract-enforcement institutions are combined in interfirm relationships under a developed legal system.

They analyse managerial survey data to identify ideal-types of governance strategies that rely on distinct combinations of institutions. They find three ideal-types: (1) bilateral governance, using morality and self-enforcement; (2) third-party governance, leaning on a mix of courts, reputation and community norms; and (3) comprehensive governance, relying heavily on all institutions.

Thus they realize that real choice at the level of governance is not between informal and formal institutions but between bilateral and third-party solutions on the one hand, and partial or comprehensive use of institutions, on the other. The number of relationships that use comprehensive governance is highest among the three groups, which means that institutions often serve as complements rather than substitutes.

The research was based on 14 semi-structured interviews – half of them with women who lead family businesses. We involved female entrepreneurs into the research who met the following criteria: (1) their income comes from her own (or family’s) business in at least 50 percent, (2) they spend at least 10 hours per week with leading the enterprise; (3) they have at least 5 years of entrepreneurial experience and (4) their business falls into the SME category. Interviewees were selected with special attention to their business’s location and sector, marital status, as well as their age.

Hard work but it is worth it

Creating balance between work and private life is a key issue for most women. No matter to what extent differences with regard to the status, duties and possibilities of men and women are blurred, it is general that women have the dominant role in child-rearing and family life.

Women entrepreneurs start their own business first and foremost to gain the flexibility and independence that is hard to attain as employees – partly in professional self-realization, partly in lavishing between work and other areas of life. According to the interviewees, work-family balance can be realized but only through hard work.

A woman can organize her schedule better as an entrepreneur than as a full-timework employee; however, this is far from the sufficient solution. Much depends on whom she can rely on, what tasks she is able to entrust to others.

It has to be accepted that a person cannot devote time to anything; it is inevitable to prioritize – emphasize the interviewees. For instance, housework can be outsourced in the easiest way.“We employ a cleaning lady, because we quickly realized that we need one. I used to say that a cleaning lady is an investment for a female entrepreneur, because she can earn much more money when she deals with her job as if she is thinking of cleaning.” underline done of the interviewees.

In some cases the husband assumes a bigger role in housekeeping. “I could only imagine a person by my side who did not categorize work as being female or male, because. Our life is made up of tasks: buying, dealing with administrative tasks (post, bill, etc.), cooking, washing, cleaning. If these are not done by two people, then I do think it cannot be done at all.”confirmed another female entrepreneur.

All women need the support of the family, and particularly the support of the husband. It does not mean simply sharing the housework: appreciation and understanding worth more than anything according to one of the interviewees “It gives me strength that he is always by my side.”

Although the traditional female-male division of labour is far less prevalent in the family of female entrepreneurs on their own admission, in most cases the central role of family management is played by women. With or without an enterprise, they basically do not give it out of their hands. Just like child rearing – they pass duties relating to the children on to others in the rarest case.

In this field, the usual division of roles is retained: most of the child rearing is left to the mother, e.g. she is the one who studies with the child or who attends the parent’s meetings in school. Career should not overwhelm the family – the goal is to keep time and energy for both.”I did not want to give up my family anyway, I do think that for a woman her family is the first, and she should try to balance between work and family without giving up herself. I believe that it is indispensable to comply with the two. Women have to work really hard in this regard so that everything goes smoothly.” highlighted one interviewee.

In addition to the support of the family, reliable colleagues also lift a heavy burden from female entrepreneurs’ shoulders. They not only move the business forward, but also allow women to spend more time and energy on their family.

Starting from crash or getting engaged by necessity

Striving for work-family balance is a core motivation but it is not the decisive one. Determined entrepreneurial intentions or exigency are the crucial drive to start a business. Some interviewees have consciously prepared for launching the business: the desire of self-realization, even if it poses a risk, was evolved early in their life.“I always wanted more. (…) There was no argument against starting the business, we had faith in ourselves. I felt that we had all the necessary knowledge and the financial background, and we really wanted to do what we would like to.”

For interviewees entrepreneurship was solution in a critical situation. Some of them lost her job due to the regime change in early ‘90s, or due to the crisis in 2008. Some of them could not find a job after maternity leave and it forced them to start her own business. “My daughter was born in 1993 and during maternity leave I was faced with the fact that I would not be able to go back (to my former job). Fortunately, I did not become unemployed (…) But there was my child, and I knew our financial background so I had no choice.”

In a few cases, women have taken over and continued the family business under the pressure of the family and in accordance with their parents’ expectations – mainly because of the disinterest or lack of a male child.

Different situations frame different stories and motivations. People above 50 having launched their business before or directly after the regime change in early ‘90s mainly referred to reasons beyond their control. Younger people who started their business nowadays were more conscious to prepare to entrepreneurship – for them this is the way to achieve their goals. This ‘self-made’ generation is more courageous to find its own way, even if new ground is needed to be broken.

Creating your own world

Both early pressure driven and contemporary self-conscious business women have a committed desire to prove that they can break through the particular glass ceilings. Almost all of them have experienced that women had to work hard for respect.“If you are young, you are a woman it’s very hard to achieve that people take you seriously. (…) When I was sitting at a conference, out of 10 people, 9 were men and I was the only woman.”

As there are no two identical people, there are not two identical stories. However, there is a common feature: they want to find their place in the world and they are brave enough to do for it.

Balázs Szepesi, the strategic director of HETFA, in his study exmaines the conceptual framework of the obstacles and opportunities how enterprises in Hungary can move forward. The performance of the SMEs that significantly determine the prosperity of the Hungarian economy, compared to the Visegrad countries is at a low level. As reasons for this phenomena, we can identify the assimetric nature of joining into the international economy, the limited application of successful business management practices and the weaknesses of the institutional environment that could encourage to take challenges. The research programme has practical motivation to find answer to the question how to change this situation. The main results are also presented in the relevant section of the “Összkép” journal (in Hungarian).

Szepesi, Balázs & Zulik, Ákos: The concept of ‘moving forward’ in entrepreneurship – Conceptual and theoretical base, 2015, HETFA Working Paper Series No. 14. (only in Hungarian)

The most likely reason of this phenomena is that the labour productivity is higher in the urban areas, which stimulates businesses to continue their activities in the urban agglomerations. The more effective human resource recruitment, the more advantageous opportunities of learning and the exchange of experience are behind this process. Besides, due to the higher density of businesses in urban areas, the companies jointly are entitled to special services, which reduce their costs. According to the results of László Czaller and Klára Major, following the separation of regional labour supply and demand differences, in Hungary, the nominal wage difference is approx. 10% between city and countryside, however, the amount of the difference is significantly different in groups having different education.

Czaller, László & Major, Klára: Agglomeration wage premium in Hungary, 2015, HETFA Working Paper Series No. 13.

The CGE macromodels are based on macroeconomic principles that is the economic processes in the model are deducted from the individual decisions of the actors. The data describing the income flows among the economic actors serve as the basis of the model. With this data, it can be shown how the sudden and significant change (shock) in one sector of the economy influences the other sectors.

In the HETFA Working Paper using this model, Klára Major and Luca Drucker analysed the macroeconomic impact of the electricity outages. According to their results, the 2% setback of the energy supply leads to a 0,54% decrease in the GDP. This decrease is explained by the fact that the production and the consommation of most of the services and products require energy. The amount of this decrease depends significantly on the fact that the different actors reduce their comsommation and production on a different scale.

Major, Klára & Drucker, Luca Flóra: Macroeconomic impact of electric power outage – simulation results from a CGE modelling experiment for Hungary, 2015, HETFA Working Paper Series No. 12.

In his research, he analised the quality of the education with the help of the mathematics and reading comprehension results of the National Competency Assessment, then he approximated the size of the school with two indicators: number of pupils in school and number of pupils per teacher. As his findings show, in itself, none of these factors have an impact on the performance of the students  (provided that the pupils and schools are not different in their other significant features) and the results is valid among the disadvantaged pupils, too.

Herczeg, Bálint: Impact of the size of a school on the school’s added value, 2015, HETFA Working Paper Series No. 11. (only in Hungarian)