General Principles and Challenges of Public Administration Organization in Hungary

The organization of administrative bodies in Hungary has undergone significant changes over the past decades. After the change of regime, the basic democratic rules of the state were introduced, which also fundamentally determined the system of public administration. These influences led to the development of the constitutional basis for the system of public administration, which has evolved steadily since the change of regime. An important milestone in the regulation of the organization of public administration was the new Fundamental Law of 2011, which laid the foundations for several conceptual changes. The present chapter provides a textbook overview of the basic geographical characteristics of Hungary, the basic constitutional rules governing the public administration system, and the public administration system, specially focusing on state administration and local governments. The focus is on public administration bodies and their organization, with the chapter outlining also the current challenges faced by the organization of public administration in Hungary and predicaments for its future development.

KEYWORDS Hungary, public administration, public administration bodies, constitutional principles, principles of public administration, local self-governments