The context for CD in the `New Europe' |
Central and Eastern Europe in the limelight
Hungarian Association for Community Development and one of its founding members
Address for correspondence: Hungarian Association for Community Development, 1011 Budapest, Córvin tér 8; email: vercseg{at}kka.hu
I have been involved in community development in Hungary since 1980 and during this period international work has always played a significant part in my work. However, four years ago, the Hungarian Association for Community Development (HACD) began to reorganize its contacts in other central and eastern European countries. In this paper I seek to avoid generalities and instead focus on a small portion of our joint work in the region, describing the experience we gained through carrying out comparative research. I begin by exploring the concept of civil society as the ideal goal of community development. I then introduce the situation in Hungary and, to a certain extent, the central and eastern European region, and outline some of the findings we have obtained in measuring social capital. I go on to raise some issues concerning the main challenges facing community development in the region and, in a concluding section, I discuss the position of community development workers.