Hungary: Understanding the Mentality of a Premature Donor

Abstract

Hungary re-emerged as a donor of international development assistance after 2003, along with most of the other Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. It is therefore timely to look back at its performance in this policy area. This chapter seeks to assess the dynamics of the decade to 2015 and provide a brief overview of issues influencing the direction of Hungary’s international development cooperation from 2015 on. Will Hungarian development practice move closer to European norms and ‘best practices’, or will Hungary create a distinct donor profile for itself in the international development system through specialization? Or, will Hungary’s development policy maintain its low profile, ‘emerging’ nature in the foreseeable future?