„An idea. Resilient… highly contagious.
Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it’s almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed – fully understood – that sticks; right in there somewhere”
Dominick Cobb
Reimagining from the basics
There is no getting around the fact that democratic public life and scientific thought have reached the point where they cannot explain the political phenomena that arise and cannot solve the problems that arise. Current ideas and everyday practice have been going round in the same circles for the past decade and a half, continuously leading to the same results.
There are no optimal explanations for domestic political and social processes, and no good solutions. This situation needs to change, the foundations need to be changed, the framework needs to be reimagined. A critical approach is needed to reinterpret the theoretical frameworks of social research and opinion polls that aim to explain reality, to recreate the methods of understanding reality and to use them to formulate novel solutions to the problems we face in our everyday lives.
Who are we?
The Forrás Institute for Social Research was founded by Eszter Galgóczi, political analyst and Balázs Vető, public opinion researcher, online marketing expert.
Their aim is to gain a deeper understanding of society, its past, present and future in a novel way. Differently than it has been done in the past. Because, as Albert Einstein said, madness is nothing more than doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the outcome to be different.
Our researches
Careers as a teacher in Hungary
Our latest articles
How do we raise petrol prices by 33% without political risk?
Since 15 of November 2021, the fuel price capping rule has been in force in Hungary. Although the number of people eligible to benefit from the rule has been narrowed several times, the majority of Hungarian drivers could get petrol or diesel at HUF 480.I mean, if you could get it. In the last quarter of 2022, we heard more and more often that it was not possible to get officially priced fuel at a significant number of wells.And one of the leading news stories of the first days of December was that there was almost no official price fuel, or any other type. Most experts believe the shortage is caused by price controls. How can this situation be resolved without blaming the Orbán government?
Work hungarian, we won’t help – Katalin Novák’s New Year’s greeting
After 2010, we tend to think of New Year’s greetings as honeyed, lofty speeches about the nation, laced with literary phrases devoid of real meaning. If at no other time, it is worth immersing oneself in these New Year’s greetings at this time of crisis. Especially this year, as this is the first time that Katalin Novák has welcomed the New Year as Head of State.
The election success in Jászberény and what lies behind
In a world of consecutive Fidesz two-thirds, it seems like a miracle of God when one of the opposition parties wins by such a margin.Of course, there are some places where these wonders are more common. Just think of József Tóth and his team, who won the elections for mayor and local councillor in District XIII.But the emergence of a new miracle always inspires political wonder-wishers. Jászberény has become such a “wonderland”. But no miracle has happened here.
Butch Cassidy in the Várkert Bazaar
The Wild West is a familiar element of Viktor Orbán’s annual assessment speeches, just remember the iconic Dakota proverbs. In his opening speech of the 2023 season today, he quoted the opening scene of Once Upon a Time in the Wild West.Listening to the Prime Minister’s speech, however, we are reminded of the final scene of another classic western: when Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid burst out of cover, knowing they are certain to die, and into the Mexican army that is lined up outside.
The mandatory action is in fact a communication action
The government has decided that the price freeze on basic foodstuffs will remain in place, in fact that large food chains will be obliged to announce weekly promotions. Will this measure stop inflation or will it have the opposite effect? Will the shops deal with the losses or will retailers pass the costs on to consumers? While asking such questions, we are turning the issue into an economic discourse, dismissing the fact that this is in fact a political communication tactic.
The case of young revolutionaries with opposition parties
Recently, the Alexander Palace announced an open day which the Teachers Democratic Organization and the students who stand next to them, with the participation of Lili Pankotai, wanted to use for protest.The action got off to a perfect start, teachers and students with banners and subbed T-shirts lined up in a winding queue in the square so they can get into the building and voice their opinions on the statuslaw. But then something happened that no one seemed to be prepared for: Katalin Novák appeared and started talking with the protesters. What happened after that is a textbook example of how standing for a good cause can fail.
