"A racionálistól a részvételig". Redisztribúció, területi gazdálkodás, területfejlesztési politika átalakulóban Magyarországon - "From the Rational to the Participatory" – Redistribution, Territorial Management, and Regional Development Policy in Transition in Hungary

In this paper we present an overview of some of the main changes in the Hungarian territorial management system and regional development policy. As far as the time frame is concerned, the study begins with the period before the democratic transition in 1990 and concludes with the system of the development policy influenced and modified by the European Union. The actual role of the settlements and generally of the local level is particularly emphasized in this study; furthermore, a special attention is paid to the current institutional circumstances and the distribution of European Union development funds. Following the EU accession of Hungary, the operating conditions of the settlements and municipalities have been at least seemingly changed; moreover, the factors responsible for the structure and pattern of the territorial inequalities – connected to the former one – have also been transformed. Some new competencies and local resources which can be utilized to perform more efficiently and successfully in the sphere of development policy have become essential and appreciated due to the increasing rivalry of settlements