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Research profile

About us

Eötvös Károly Institute was created in January 2003 by the Soros Foundation in order to establish a novel, unconventional institutional framework for shaping democratic public affairs in Hungary. Among our recent activities, social researches must be strengthened, because any further steps towards our original aims need/require conceptual clarification and empirical understanding of the legal, social and cultural processes and structures. The human capacities and connections of the Institute make this turn possible, all of us have research experiences in the relevant fields. Our mission statement guide us to select those issues and problems which are eligible for deeper investigations. The final aim remains: to help the learning process of democracy and rule of law, to urge the democratic activities of society, to criticise those tendencies which jeopardize the development of free society and constitutional power. Past activities and enthusiasm of the Institute and its members give us enough ground to step into the research field with more energy.


Research areas

The list of research areas below provides information on the professional experiences of the Institute and its researchers, and signs the enthusiasm of the Institute to the values of  democracy and the rule of law.  


Democracy, rule of law, constitutionalism

Justice, judicial independence

  • Social history of judicial independence, sociology of the judiciary, administration of justice

  • Judicial branch in the system of separation of powers: relations to the executive

  • Institutions of judicial self-governance

  • The quality of justice

  • Accountability and independence:

  • Research methodologies in the field of the administration of justice

Autonomies

  • Civic autonomies in Hungary: historical and sociological analysis

  • Professional autonomies, their functions in modern society 

Education and democracy

Democratic participation

Special fundamental rights issues such as


Our researchers

Zoltán Fleck

László Majtényi

Ágnes Kovács

Domokos Lázár