ABSTRACT
This chapter examines national-level patterns of rural-urban youth migration in Hungary and the implications for rural and regional underdevelopment. The chapter couples the descriptive analysis of national statistical data with a case study of a rural community in southern Hungary and the relationship among migration, ethnicity, economic development, and, ultimately, community sustainability. While demographic patterns show regional variation, since 1990 there have been clear patterns of rural aging and out-migration leading to increased numbers of small, economically underdeveloped villages. Rural depopulation also threatens the very existence of key community institutions such as schools which face risk of closure as villages empty out. The case study provides a local example of these dynamics and helps further illustrate how racial and ethnic identities can work to alternately reinforce identity or undermine sustainability within rural communities.
