ABSTRACT
Hungary has a rich history as a transformational state within Europe. Recently, it has experienced the latest in a sequence of paradigm shifts that has seen it emerge from its communist heritage to become a modern, independent, democratic state. Its evolution as such, in common with many other former communist states, has witnessed major restructuring in almost every field since the change of regime in 1989, not least in the field of public administration and governance. The process of European integration, and later the requirements under which Hungary could become a Member State of the EU, brought about challenges in society, the economy, and in all levels of politics and the administration itself. As the EU, meanwhile, experienced an information explosion with the moves towards an information society, Hungary was struggling to come to terms with its new freedoms and to adapt to its new situation.
