North Great Plain Region Research Articles

Institution and Occupational Motivation of Students in Vocational Institutions in the North Great Plain Region of Hungary in Relation to Socio-Economic Status

Institution and Occupational Motivation of Students in Vocational Institutions in the North Great Plain Region of Hungary in Relation to Socio-Economic Status

Types and spatial characteristics of traffic offences committed by road hauliers and carriers in the North Great Plain region, Hungary

This study examines the spatial distribution and structure of traffic offences in the Northern Great Plain region. The research is unique in that it examines a specific area through the lens of geography. The research shows and demonstrates that the research area of crime and transport geography is much broader than previous researches has shown. At the beginning of the study, the authors clarified the conceptual framework, as the terms “violation” and “offence” are often confused even in technical materials. The research shows which routes are the most frequently used by road hauliers in the regions under study and what type of checks have been carried out on these routes by the Transport Authorities of the Government Offices. The type of administrative penalty detected and the nationality breakdown of the infringements are described. The study typifies the infringements involving administrative fines by nationality category.

Development of leisure and sports consumption and sports motivation among children with disabilities


 The number of studies on the leisure and sporting habits of people with disabilities as well as the background of sports motivation is far from the focus of research on intact research. Thus, the assessment of physical habits and sports motivation factors determining the quality of life of persons with disabilities can be considered as a less researched deficit area in Hungary and internationally.
 
 
 In our research, we examine the recreational and sporting habits of the 8-18 year-olds, as well as the motivational background, and the results of this research are presented in this paper. The importance of this issue is confirmed by the fact that, according to a UN survey, 650 million people have some kind of disability, 50 million of them in Europe and nearly half a million in Hungary, 5% of the population. The questionnaire (N = 639) was filled by children with disabilities living in the North Great Plain region with the help of a teacher. We used both closed and open questions in the questionnaire, and we helped and orient children with response categories for some questions.
 
 
 Data were processed using SPSS software, averaged, standard deviation, median, mode, and Chi2 probe was used to examine relationships in addition to basic statistics.
 
 
 Our results showed that it is a problem for young people with disabilities that they prefer passive leisure activities, which is similar to the results of studies on intact research. Boys and girls have different sports, boys are more active than girls.

Quality of Wellness Services in the North Great Plain Region

Wellness is the philosophy of life in everyday life. In a holistic sense, it is also used as a harmony of physical, mental, and spiritual abilities, basically means prevention, regeneration, relaxation, and fitness. The investigation took place between September and December 2018. Of the 166 participants, 94 were women, and 72 were men. As a result of the research, we can state that respondents are looking for relaxation and relaxation in wellness hotels. Their expectations are related to their age, place of residence, and family status.

Wildlife tourism as a developing recreational activity option in Hungary's North Great Plain region and Bihar-Bihor Euroregion

Wildlife tourism as a developing recreational activity option in Hungary's North Great Plain region and Bihar-Bihor Euroregion

Az uszodai infrastruktúra vizsgálata az Észak-alföldi régióban

Az úszás azon közkedvelt sportágak egyike, amely amellett, hogy egészséget megőrző mozgásforma, bármely életkorban űzhető. Jelen társadalmunk jelentős hányadának fizikai inaktivitása miatt kutatók számos irányból vizsgálták, hogy miként lehetne rendszeres sportolásra bírni a lakosságot, többek között az épített környezet sportolási szokásokra gyakorolt hatásai is elemzésre kerültek. Kutatásunk során az Észak-alföldi régió 34 uszodáját tanulmányoztuk, telefonos interjú alapján végzett kérdőíves módszerrel. Áttekintettük az uszodák átadásának időpontjait, a létesítéskor megfogalmazott célokat, a medencék számát, hosszát. Elemeztük, hogy az egyes sportfoglalkozások, mint iskolai úszás, lakossági úszás, gyógytorna, edzés, versenyek hogyan jelennek meg az időbeosztásban, valamint, hogy a nyitva tartás miként befolyásolja a lakosság által történő igénybevétel lehetőségét. Megállapítható, hogy az érintett megyék egészségügyi mutatói alapján fontos lenne az egészséges életmódra nevelés, ehhez kapcsolódóan az úszás lehetőségének biztosítása is. Ugyanakkor a jelenleg rendelkezésre álló infrastruktúra kevés, emiatt az uszodaépítési program folytatása kiemelt jelentőségű.

Quality of Wellness Services in the North Great Plain Region

Wellness is the philosophy of life in everyday life. In a holistic sense, it is also used as a harmony of physical, mental, and spiritual abilities, basically means prevention, regeneration, relaxation, and fitness. The investigation took place between September and December 2018. Of the 166 participants, 94 were women, and 72 were men. As a result of the research, we can state that respondents are looking for relaxation and relaxation in wellness hotels. Their expectations are related to their age, place of residence, and family status.

Quality of Wellness Services in the North Great Plain Region

Wellness is the philosophy of life in everyday life. In a holistic sense, it is also used as a harmony of physical, mental, and spiritual abilities, basically means prevention, regeneration, relaxation, and fitness. The investigation took place between September and December 2018. Of the 166 participants, 94 were women, and 72 were men. As a result of the research, we can state that respondents are looking for relaxation and relaxation in wellness hotels. Their expectations are related to their age, place of residence, and family status.

Quality of Wellness Services in the North Great Plain Region

Wellness is the philosophy of life in everyday life. In a holistic sense, it is also used as a harmony of physical, mental, and spiritual abilities, basically means prevention, regeneration, relaxation, and fitness. The investigation took place between September and December 2018. Of the 166 participants, 94 were women, and 72 were men. As a result of the research, we can state that respondents are looking for relaxation and relaxation in wellness hotels. Their expectations are related to their age, place of residence, and family status.

Analysis of the North Great Plain Region's Accommodation Supply with Special Focus on Sport and Wellness Elements

Analysis of the North Great Plain Region's Accommodation Supply with Special Focus on Sport and Wellness Elements

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ACTIVE AND PASSIVE RECREATIONAL CONSUMPTION HABITS OF DISABLED CHILDREN LIVING IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAIN REGION

In our research, we studied the leisure habits of students with disabilities (8-18 years, n = 289) living in the North Great Plain region using a questionnaire method. The aim of the research was to examine the leisure habits of children with disabilities in the region, their main characteristics, and their recreational attitudes. Our goal was also the gender test to see whether there was a significant difference between the sexes and how this correlated with the results of the study of leisure habits in the wild. We sought to find out what the most common leisure time activities for general and high school students with disabilities are, how does this affect genders? What is their attitude towards spending time on leisure? What are their sporting habits and sporting consumption? We have found that the recreational consumption of young people with disabilities is similar to the results of surveys carried among normal children as passive leisure time is dominant (listening to music, watching TV). In girls' leisure time, the preference for listening and reading is more dominant while watching TV, especially popular sports channels are more characteristic of boys. For leisure-time activities, staying fit, trying out new things, and community experience is crucial for young people with disabilities. Recreational sports prove to be popular, as more than 50% of both girls and boys say they are engaged in recreational sports.

Sport Involvement Analysis in Hungary, in the North Great Plain Region

On a global level, a healthy lifestyle is experienced more where sport and physical activity as a way of life has gained more importance. European Union documents (such as the White Paper on Sport—2007) further stressed the important role of physical activity, and member states have declared the same opinion. Almost all scientific research approaches the topic by measuring the sport-related activity rate and incidence. The findings of Eurobarometer (2014) revealed that 41% of responding European citizens pursue some kinds of sport or do some form of body movement once a week, while 59% rarely or never do. In Hungary, compared to the findings of 2009, activity improved. Still, 44% of Hungarian citizens never undertake any sports activity. Pursuing sport and showing interests in a more active lifestyle are indicators that may truly reflect the social connection between sport and the society itself, and we may apply both terms in the framework of engagement. These terms lead us to the topic of sport related involvement, including social, psychological, and economic dimensions. In a large sample representative survey, carried out among Hungarian people in the North Great plain region, we aimed to reveal the specifications of sport engagement and our empirical findings have proved a very strong connection between sport and the population itself.

Comparison of Pálfai’s drought index and the Normalised Precipitation Index in the North Great Plain region

Agriculture has always been an important role in economy, food supplies, sustainability of society and creation of job opportunities in Hungary. Our country has resource-related strength of agriculture, because we have more than 4.5 million ha for agricultural production. Agricultural production can be influenced by several factors, including climate, hydrology, soil conditions and antropogenic impacts. Climate determines the quality and quantity of the crop yields. The climate conditions in Hungary are variable and it shows spatial and temporal extremes. As a result of this, drought have become more frequent in our country (2003, 2007, 2009, 2012), which is reflected in the decline in yields as well. In the present study, Pálfai's Drought Index (PAI) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) were compared 2003–2012 in Debrecen. The temperature and precipitation data were calculated from data provided by a local meteorological station to work out PAI, while the SPI-3 index values were downloaded from the database of the European Drought Observatory. This allowed to drought assessment in a local and regional scale. Our study was supplemented with SPI-3, soil moisture anomalies, PAI and yields of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) to evaluating the impact of drought on agriculture.

The social basis of regional development in the North Great Plain Region

It is a widely accepted practice in the European Union to break down countries into regions according to their stage of development, their cultural and economic characteristics. The basis of this methodology is the EU-conform MOTS system, which distinguishes territorial units on five levels. Besides the MOTS system, Hungary uses another system, too, which is the basis of our public administration, and whose roots go back to the times of King Saint Stephen: the county system. In Hungary, developmental decisions are taken by a county’s general assembly; at the same time, from an economic point of view the characteristics and competitive advantages of a county can be defined more precisely than those of a region.
 Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County and Hajdu-Bihaur County may be described with completely different characteristics, albeit both of them are part of the North Great Plain Region. On a county level economically important and justified developmental areas may be mapped more precisely.
 Hajdu-Bihar County is the 4th most populous county in Hungary. With 80.2% of the population living in cities, the county is significantly urbanized. 2010 statistics show that the birth rate per 1,000 people in the county is practically the same as the birth rate of the country and that of the North Great Plain Region. Following the trends in developed countries, mothers now tend to give birth in an older age. Almost half (44.5%) of the children in Hajdu-Bihar County are born after their mother’s 30th birthday.
 The general health condition of the population of Hajdu-Bihar County can be described with various indicators. In terms of medical and hospital care no difference can be observed between regional and national data, the county’s health care does not straggle behind. In sum, with the health care system of the county, estimated life expectancy of men is higher than the regional average, and in case of women it is higher than both the regional and national average, according to the given year’s mortality.
 Children’s ratio among the county’s population is 15.9%, which is more than 1% over the national average. The ratio is higher in case of girls and boys alike. The income of the county’s population depends not only on labour income but also on social benefits. According to the analysis, the proportion of old-age pensioners and those receiving pension-like allowances within the whole population is somewhat lower in the county than the national average. The number of children receiving child-welfare and daytime care is prominent in the county.
 The number of families and children receiving child-care allowance has not changed significantly in recent years. All important elements of social benefits have increased in the last decade. The quality of life of the county’s population is largely affected by the presence (or absence) of basic infrastructure in their environment. Research conducted at the settlements of the county shows that currently the greater part of the population has access to basic public utility services which form part of everyday services. Although they affect the general quality of life, the network of roads and passenger traffic have their real significance in terms of economic development. The county’s modern, paved road-system had already been built earlier.
 Roads and pavements in inner-city areas have been paved up to 70%. The technical condition of roads and pavements can seriously impede the population’s mobility and it may hinder the development of certain settlements and districts.

Settlement network, demographic circumstances, healthcare, social service and educations in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county

Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county shares its borders with three countries: Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia. The county is part of the North Great Plain Region, it is the third largest county of Hungary in terms of its population. The peripheric geographical location of the county gained importance by the EU accession, as the county represents a significant part of the eastern border of the EU.
 Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county is one of the counties of the Great Plain with significant population in the outlying areas, out of the six counties of the Great Plain the population of outlying areas is the lowest in the county, its ratio has been significantly reducing in the past decades. In the six counties in 1990 the population of the outlying areas represented 22.3% of the total population, whereas in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county the ratio was 13.6%. The ratio has dropped to 6.2% and 4.1% respectively.
 The major aim of economic development is the improvement of the living conditions of the population, first and foremost by increasing family incomes. There are two main determining factors of family income level: employment ratio and the sectoral structure of employment.
 Between 1992–2010 the number of employees in the financial sector decreased from 89 000 to 75 000, whereas the number of employees in the non-financial sector grew dynamically from 40 000 to 65 000. Structural change was significant. In the non-financial sector the proportion of the two main employment fields (education and healthcare) swapped. The number of employees in the education sector decreased from 16 000 to 14 000, while the number of employees in the health and social care sector grew from 11 000 to 22 000.
 On the basis of statistics the number of kindergarten and primary school children reduced in the given period, while the number of secondary school aged children increased. In 1999 the number of secondary school children was 1/5th compared to the number of primary school children, whereas in 2010 their number almost reached 1/2. The student number in higher education doubled, which is a favorable phenomenon, though its structural changes raise some problems. The lack of technical trainings hinders exigent industrial development.
 Since 1990 the education level of the population has significantly improved, the number and proportion of secondary school students and university graduates have risen much more dynamically than in other regions of the country. In the county the proportion of secondary school students increased 63% more than the national average, while in the case of university graduates the county passed the average national growth by more than 54%. Due to the effect of structural changes the proportion of university graduates in the corresponding age group improved, its backwardness compared to the national average has ameliorated from 34% to 29%, in the group of secondary school graduates the disadvantage has moderated from 26% to 21%. The computer and internet supply, as well as the number of teachers and students enrolled in secondary education institutions have developed dynamically in the county. Their growth has much excelled the national average.

Public finance resources and regional distribution of rural development

Rural development, more specifically the economic development of counties have three public finance resources: the municipality, the central budgetary and the labour market fund resources. Based on the provisions of public finance, there are currently five provisions of the municipality resources of rural development: supporting settlements struggling with employment problems, supporting multi-purpose small regions, supporting settlements which are in a difficult position through no fault of their own, supporting public utility development and supporting holiday resorts. The opportunity of increasing investments is using EU funds. The structural change has a favourable direction, the proportion of the economic development program and regional developments increased in the recent years, but their share is still low. The proportion of agricultural and rural development programs which are important from the aspect of rural development is a less favourable phenomenon. Furthermore, the share of human and social development somewhat decreased, but it is still high. Apart from the regional programs, the Budget Act does not specify the regional distribution of budgets, only the professional purposes of uses, of which it is possible to conclude to which county development can be requested resources for.
 Between 2008 and 2011, the 13–15% share of the North Great Plain region was close to the population share of 14.7%. In 2012, there was a turn of events in which the necessity of developing the region was shown. In this year, not only the proportion, but also the absolute extent of development resources increased. Therefore, the region could use resources of 16.9 billion HUF in 2010, 31.4 billion HUF in 2011 and 56.3 billion HUF in 2012. In order to properly use these resources, determined utilisation structure is necessary to be performed. The distribution of development purposes provides an explanation for the backward position of the economic performance of Hajdú-Bihar county.
 Of the development resources available for four years, the region spent only 12.2% on economic development.

Regional economic achievements and reindustrialisation in Hajdú-Bihar county

The North Great Plain region is one of the backward regions of Hungary. The low level of economic development is mainly due to the lack of industrial development. The region is poor in natural resources, its main resources are land, natural gas fields, carbon dioxide, thermal water and the clay mineral stock.The structure of GDP per capita of the county is different than the country average mainly because of the high proportion of agriculture.The proportion of the industry and the building industry is not significant. Of the various service provider sectors, trade, transport and telecommunications have a small proportion, while financial and economic service providers have even lower share, which is due to the fact that these sectors are mostly concentrated in Budapest. The share of public and human service prodivers is higher than average due to the University of Debrecen.The GDP which expresses the economic development of the county in a complex way increased four times its previous value in nominal value between 1995–2009. However, if the real value is considered, the increase is less than 25%, as opposed to the country average, which was less than 40%.The most complex index of the development level of an economy is GDP expressed either in nominal or real value. If expressed in dollars, GDP is suitable for international comparison with the correction based on the purchasing power parity per person.The county represents 4.3% of the people employed in the industrial sector in Hungary, while its share in industrial production is only 3.3% which is lower than the regional and population share of the county within Hungary. As regards industrial production per person, Hajdú-Bihar was the 10th county in Hungary; therefore, it is considered to be a less industrialised county.The product structure of GDP is suitable for drawing useful development conclusions, but the result is more reliable if the income creation ability is also analysed on the basis of the employment structure.

The impact of employment and income circumstances on the development of regions

The economic condition of an area is fundamentally determined by the extent of employement, as well as the size and composition of its active population. No sustainable economic growth is possible without the necessary amount of employees with the proper skills.
 As regards the proportion of employees, i.e. economically active people is significanlty lower in Hungary than not only in Western Europe, but also countries which joined the EU recently. One of the reasons for this fact is the low amount of part-time employment and the other is the phenomenon that the number of agricultural employees – who had a significant role – greatly decreased in the county.
 The employment level of the population in the county is nearly identical as that of the North Great Plain region and it is lower than the country average. The activity proportion, i.e. the joint proportion of employees and unemployed people in the population between 15–74 years of age is 3 percentages lower than the country average. The proportion of unemployed people greatly varies depending on the small regions of the county. The proportion of registered unemployed people in the population of active age is the lowest in Debrecen and the highest in the Hajdúhadház small region. The unemployment of career-starters is a further problem to deal with.
 The composition of employees in the county is different than the country average. When compared in terms of different economic sectors, it can be observed that agriculture, game management, forestry and fishery are more significant than the country average. Of the provider sectors, the proportion of financial activity, real estate matters and economic services is lower, while that of accommodation services and hospitality is higher than the country average.
 There are regional differences similar to unemployment in terms of the income size which is the basis of personal income tax per taxpayer.The income level in the North Great Plain region is lower than the country average mainly in terms of income paid for work, where this difference is 23%, while it is only 5% in the case of social income. Altogether, the income and expenditure data of the North Great Plain region are not favourable.

The role of agriculture in regional development

Agriculture is the leading national economic sector of Hajdú-Bihar county. The proportion of employees in this sector and the share of pro ducts produced in this region is above the country average. The contribution of agriculture to the GDP is 6.3%, as opposed to the average value of the country (3.3%). Based on their primary activity, 8% of the enterprises in the county are classified as agricultural and forestry companies, while this proportion is only 5.3% in the whole country.
 Nearly three quarters (71.1%) of the sowing area is occupied by maize and other cereals, mainly wheat. This proportion is slightly more than the country average (69.2%). The proportional area of oil crops - including sunflower – and roughage is nearly the same as the country average. However, there is a significant difference in vegetable production. Due to the higher intensity of vegetable production, the area occupied by vegetables is three times the country average. 19.4% of the crop products, 23.5% of animal products and living animals, 25.8% of the income generated by production factors and 29.8% of net enterprise income of Hungary originates from the North Great Plain region.
 The facilitation of creating local markets, e.g. local public food supply, satisfying the needs of food trade with local goods, the necessary awareness raising actions, secondary and higher education of experts, as well as the more specific and targeted utilisation of development resources are agricultural development tasks.

Changes in the Hungarian law and in the classification system regarding to ’people living with disabilities’ between 2008 and 2013

Nowadays employment is a hot topic in Hungary. The rate of inactive people on the labour market is very high. Many kinds of supplies are provided by the State for example for the group “people living with disabilities”. It is very difficult to provide job for these people after their rehabilitation. Statistical figures show, that the highest ratio of “people living with disabilities” can be found in the North Great Plain Region of Hungary (30 per cent of the total number of “people living with disabilities”).
 The employment of these people means extra costs for enterprises. At the same time the complete accessibility of workplaces is still not realized in many cases in Hungary yet. Currently only a few enterprises are specialized to employ people living with disabilities in the North Great Plain Region. Unfortunately most of the enterprises don’t want to employ them. New workplaces for these people should be created by the utilisation of European Union and national available sources in order to integrate them into the job’s world in long run. I represent the changes in the law and in the classification system in this area.