Opportunities for central (regional) government to intervene in decisions and operations of local governments in Hungary

Abstract

The regulation of the relationship between central and local government in Hungary has undergone significant transformation in the last decade. The government has robust tools to control local activities, just these tools are rarely applied by the supervising authorities. The main transformation of this relationship can be observed in the field of public services. The formerly municipality-based public service system was transformed into a centrally organised and provided model, thus the role of local governments in Hungary has decreased. The centralisation process was strengthened by reforms during the COVID-19 pandemic.