Social disintegration in Hungary from change of regime until present day in the light of self-sufficient farming

Abstract

Income distribution reveals individuals who are the most successful making a significant income and the ones who are earning less. This distribution also shows the ratio of high and low incomes, and how both relate to the total income of all citizens. We examine the change of income and earnings over time in Hungary after the regime change of the 1990s. The country has struggled with difficulties of the capitalist system, which caused a significant social divide over the past 30 years. In addition to the continuous thinning of the middle class, the proportion of the lagging part of the society has swelled considerably. On the long run, this phenomenon not only a hindered the economic growth, but also represented an obstacle to meeting the basic needs of a large segment of population. Subsistence farming can provide an income supplement to the lagging strata and can support mitigation of the increasing effects of climate change by creating an ecologically sustainable and flexibly designed mosaic production structure. Our study should serve as a warning and support for both developed countries with advanced economic-social system and developing countries, as well.