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Presentation at the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE) Annual Meeting

My (slightly provocative) essay for SASE on how (not) to research illiberalism: The culture/economy dichotomy is artificial & unproductive.

How does the collusion of international finance & domestic oligarchy lead to illiberalism?

Book panel at the Thirty Years of Capitalist Transformations in Central and Eastern Europe Conference. Chair: Don Kalb (University of Bergen). Panelists: Attila Antal, Gabor Scheiring, Kristof Szombati, Mary Taylor

The number of excess deaths could have been ca. 7.3 million in Eastern Europe in 1991-99. What explains the postsocialist mortality crisis?

Abstract An unprecedented mortality crisis struck Eastern Europe during the transition from socialism to capitalism. Working-class men without a college degree suffered the most. Some argue that economic dislocation caused stress and despair, leading to adverse health behavior and ill health (dislocation-despair approach). Others suggest that hazardous drinking inherited as part of a dysfunctional working-class culture and populist alcohol policy were the key determinants (su

This essay examines the multidisciplinary debate around what has recently been referred to as an epidemic of ‘deaths of despair.’ Surviving and dying are life chances in the most profound sense. As Amartya Sen famously argued, our chances of survival are also a robust indicator of economic success and failure (Sen 1998). Today, the declining life expectancy in deindustrialized, rustbelt areas and the accompanying deepening of health inequalities in the U.S. signal the existen

Globalist neoliberalism, with its focus on human rights and multilateralism, is on the decline. However, its alternative is not a post-WW2-type social democratic arrangement. Instead, a new, national-populist neoliberalism — neo-illiberalism — is on the rise. Neoliberalism is bifurcating. The rise of national-populists such as Bolsonaro, Trump, or ‘Brexit-Boris’ befits this new wave of national-populist neoliberalism. The recent pandemic-induced fatigue with populism and reve

"The government of Viktor Orban favors its close entrepreneurs, but its policies also benefit foreign investors. This is one of the reasons why the EU is reluctant to impose sanctions. The EU payments will benefit not only Orban's friends but ultimately all capitalists in Hungary. Orban knows that as long as he makes foreign companies happy and brings money to Western Europe, he will also get away with destroying democracy."

I discussed my book (The retreat of liberal democracy, Palgrave, 2020) with Tim Jones from the New Books Network.

"Over the past decade, Hungary has become a classic case in the debate over illiberal democracy- even more recently with the rise of figures such as Matteo Salvini, Donald Trump, or Jair Bolsonaro on the international political scene. Around this theme was born this dialogue with Gábor Scheiring, former opposition MP in Hungary, sociologist (Ph.D., Cambridge) and researcher at Bocconi University."

The article conceptualises Hungary's neo-nationalist turn as a Polanyian countermovement against globalisation and deindustrialisation.

"Over the past decade, Hungary has become a classic case in the debate over illiberal democracy- even more recently with the rise of figures such as Matteo Salvini, Donald Trump, or Jair Bolsonaro on the international political scene. Around this theme was born this dialogue with Gábor Scheiring, former opposition MP in Hungary, sociologist (Ph.D., Cambridge) and researcher at Bocconi University."

Abstract The ten countries with the fastest shrinking population are all located in Eastern Europe, with low fertility as one of the leading causes. In this article, we analyze the privatization of companies as a potential but so far neglected factor behind the postsocialist fertility decline. We argue that privatization is linked to lower fertility by catalyzing uncertainty, shifting the cost of care work onto families, and reducing the resources available to support social

Video features a discussion of the Sociology special issue 'Nationalism's Futures', published Volume 54 Issue 6, December 2020

"A compromise works if you want to work within the same values," says Scheiring, who is a political economist at the Italian University of Bocconi and who in the past served as an opposition politician in the Hungarian parliament. "But Orbán changed the game. And it has taken a long time for European politicians to get through

Behind the veneer of economic nationalism, Hungary is one of the breeding grounds of a new incarnation of neoliberalism.

"Behind the veneer of economic nationalism, Hungary is one of the breeding grounds of a new incarnation of neoliberalism. We spoke with sociologist Gábor Scheiring, a founder and former MP of the Hungarian Green Party LMP (Politics Can be Different) about his new book The Retreat of Liberal Democracy: Authoritarian Capitalism and the Accumulative State in Hungary."

Deindustrialization and deaths of despair: mapping the impact of industrial decline on ill health A growing literature on deaths of despair has argued that workers' declining life expectancy in deindustrialized rustbelt areas in the U.S. and the associated deepening of health inequalities signal the profound existential crisis of contemporary capitalism. Competing explanations downplay the negative consequences of "creative destruction" and focus instead on unhealthy lifestyl

Three pitfalls from a Hungarian perspective that could hinder beating Trumpism after Trump vacates the White House. The official start of the transition to the Biden Administration signals the end of the battle against Donald Trump. However, Trump’s legacy will not end when he finally vacates the White House. Just as crucial as defeating Trump will be defeating Trumpism. To do that, Democrats will need to avoid three pitfalls. I have lived through the consequences of these mi

Prime Ministers Morawiecki and Orbán close ranks on their respective countries' veto of Community funds, but show possible avenues of exit to unlock the money. "The government's position does not reflect the whole of Hungary," analyst Gabor Scheiring says by phone. He warns: "In the short term, Orbán may not need an injection of money like Spain or Italy, because the Hungarian economy is in better health, but in the long run the picture can be complicated."

Orbán is right to worry about EU funds becoming conditional on the rule of law. It threatens his whole socio-economic model The EU and Viktor Orbán’s government have clashed on several occasions over democracy and the rule of law. Orbán is aware that his wiggle room would significantly shrink if the EU made the payment of funds conditional on compliance with the rule of law. This is why Orbán — together with his Polish allies — vetoed the EU budget and the recovery fund (wort

It's an absolute honor that the Mayor of Budapest, Karácsony Gergely joined my book forum to discuss the state of democracy in Hungary. Gergely is the co-chair of the party we co-founded back in the day after Gergo left teaching political science. Though our ways parted, it was great to reunite and discuss Hungarian politics. I am grateful for the event organized by Janna Brancolini and the Foreign Press Association Milan | Associazione Stampa Estera Milano - check out their