Post-Socialist Restructuring and Population Redistribution in Hungary*

Abstract

Abstract This research focuses on pathways by which national level macro-social transformations are transmitted to local communities. Our case is Hungary where we examine the relationship between post-socialist economic restructuring, widespread industrial dislocations, and urban-rural migration. Using secondary data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) and survey data from a study of 49 villages in 4 distinct rural regions, we demonstrate that post-socialist population deconcentration involved both suburbanization and net movement to villages, especially villages that are located relatively close to cities. Contrary to our expectations, movement to villages was from nearby settlements, not from large industrial centers. Moreover, migrants to villages were substantially better off than longer term village residents in terms of their human capital and attachment to the labor force. Consequently, post-socialist population deconcentration is not contributing to rural poverty as feared by some scholars.