{"id":1037280,"date":"2018-04-07T21:48:18","date_gmt":"2018-04-08T01:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/?p=1037280"},"modified":"2018-04-07T21:48:18","modified_gmt":"2018-04-08T01:48:18","slug":"the-fridge-is-full-now-new-york-times-examined-orbans-fostered-work-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/the-fridge-is-full-now-new-york-times-examined-orbans-fostered-work-scheme\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe fridge is full now\u201d, New York Times Examined Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Fostered Work Scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a lengthy article,\u00a0New York Times analyzes<\/a>\u00a0Hungary\u2019s economy through the Orb\u00e1n government\u2019s national workfare program (a.k.a. fostered work scheme) bringing up a small village as an example. Of the 472 residents of Sikl\u00f3snagyfalu, a municipality near the southern border of Hungary, 73 participate in the program, which reportedly allows them a better quality of life even though the government\u2019s economy policies are -in many aspects, apparently rightfully- criticised.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of Orb\u00e1n\u2019s government most significant and symbolic measures was the implementation of the national workfare program through which\u00a0menial tasks have been given to hundreds of thousands of job seekers across the country. As a result, the national unemployment rate has fallen to 3.8 percent from 11.4 percent, while in this village, there are roughly half as many jobseekers\u00a0as there were before Viktor Orb\u00e1n took office in 2010. Participants earn $175 which is less than half the minimum wage, but roughly double what was paid out in unemployment benefits.<\/p>\n

Orb\u00e1n and his government transformed political system, institutions and society as a whole often amid criticism of democracy advocates; according to Fidesz\u2019 allies life has definitely improved when considering the economy. Indeed, economy indicators have ameliorated since 2010:\u00a0Government debt has fallen, the country\u2019s credit ratings have improved, the budget deficit has been roughly halved and growth has almost quadrupled. Moreover, wages have risen by more than 10 percent and though still high, deprivation has significantly fallen as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo: \u00c1kos Stiller for NY Times.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Critics argue however, that in reality the situation is far from being that \u2018rosy\u2019. For instance, Hungary has slipped to 29th place from 20th on the\u00a0Euro Health Consumer Index<\/a>, a comparison of European health systems and student performance in reading, math and science has worsened according to the\u00a0PISA tests<\/a>. In addition, according to World Bank, Hungary has become significantly more corrupt under Orb\u00e1n.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, authors note that some of Orb\u00e1n and his government\u2019s successes were due to factors beyond their control:\u00a0EU\u2019s funding Between 2009 and 2016 constituted nearly 4 percent of Hungarian GDP, one of the highest ratios in the bloc. On top of that,\u00a0Europe functions as a pressure valve for the Hungarian labor market as roughly 350,000 Hungarians have found work elsewhere in the European Union. Likewise, according to Istv\u00e1n Mad\u00e1r, a senior analyst at a Hungarian financial journal,\u00a0Portfolio<\/a>,<\/p>\n

\u201cthey had some special methods, some unorthodox measures, but the overall Hungarian government economic performance was no better than any other regional government.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>
J\u00f3zsef Kosztics, right, the mayor of Sikl\u00f3snagyfalu, is certain that the workfare program has improved lives. According to critics, however, the scheme makes participants more dependent on both their local mayor and on Fidesz. Photo: \u00c1kos Stiller for NY Times.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Authors insist that the Orb\u00e1n government\u2019s success in suppressing unemployment \u201cfades under scrutiny\u201d as well. Most people, who are considered employed, are doing work that did not really need to be done, or are overstaffed for the job. In addition, the program makes them dependent on their local mayor, who assigns jobs and on Fidesz, who introduced the scheme.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the wage participants earn ($175), reportedy allows them a better quality of life than earlier. \u201cThis little bit of money goes a long way in this village.\u201d: fostered workers spruce up the village, renovate buildings and everyone can afford heating during winter, as the mayor puts it,<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can say a lot of things about the workfare program, but one thing is certain, for municipalities like this one, it means survival.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

via New York Times<\/em><\/p>\n

Source: hungarytoday.hu<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a lengthy article,\u00a0New York Times analyzes<\/a>\u00a0Hungary\u2019s economy through the Orb\u00e1n government\u2019s national workfare program (a.k.a. fostered work scheme) bringing up a small village as an example. Of the 472 residents of Sikl\u00f3snagyfalu, a municipality near the southern border of Hungary, 73 participate in the program, which reportedly allows them a better quality of life even though the government\u2019s economy policies are -in many aspects, apparently rightfully- criticised.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of Orb\u00e1n\u2019s government most significant and symbolic measures was the implementation of the national workfare program through which\u00a0menial tasks have been given to hundreds of thousands of job seekers across the country. As a result, the national unemployment rate has fallen to 3.8 percent from 11.4 percent, while in this village, there are roughly half as many jobseekers\u00a0as there were before Viktor Orb\u00e1n took office in 2010. Participants earn $175 which is less than half the minimum wage, but roughly double what was paid out in unemployment benefits.<\/p>\n

Orb\u00e1n and his government transformed political system, institutions and society as a whole often amid criticism of democracy advocates; according to Fidesz\u2019 allies life has definitely improved when considering the economy. Indeed, economy indicators have ameliorated since 2010:\u00a0Government debt has fallen, the country\u2019s credit ratings have improved, the budget deficit has been roughly halved and growth has almost quadrupled. Moreover, wages have risen by more than 10 percent and though still high, deprivation has significantly fallen as well.<\/p>\n[caption id=\"attachment_1037281\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"600\"]\"\"<\/a> Photo: \u00c1kos Stiller for NY Times.[\/caption]\n

Critics argue however, that in reality the situation is far from being that \u2018rosy\u2019. For instance, Hungary has slipped to 29th place from 20th on the\u00a0Euro Health Consumer Index<\/a>, a comparison of European health systems and student performance in reading, math and science has worsened according to the\u00a0PISA tests<\/a>. In addition, according to World Bank, Hungary has become significantly more corrupt under Orb\u00e1n.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, authors note that some of Orb\u00e1n and his government\u2019s successes were due to factors beyond their control:\u00a0EU\u2019s funding Between 2009 and 2016 constituted nearly 4 percent of Hungarian GDP, one of the highest ratios in the bloc. On top of that,\u00a0Europe functions as a pressure valve for the Hungarian labor market as roughly 350,000 Hungarians have found work elsewhere in the European Union. Likewise, according to Istv\u00e1n Mad\u00e1r, a senior analyst at a Hungarian financial journal,\u00a0Portfolio<\/a>,<\/p>\n

\u201cthey had some special methods, some unorthodox measures, but the overall Hungarian government economic performance was no better than any other regional government.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n[caption id=\"attachment_1037283\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"600\"]\"\"<\/a> J\u00f3zsef Kosztics, right, the mayor of Sikl\u00f3snagyfalu, is certain that the workfare program has improved lives. According to critics, however, the scheme makes participants more dependent on both their local mayor and on Fidesz. Photo: \u00c1kos Stiller for NY Times.[\/caption]\n

Authors insist that the Orb\u00e1n government\u2019s success in suppressing unemployment \u201cfades under scrutiny\u201d as well. Most people, who are considered employed, are doing work that did not really need to be done, or are overstaffed for the job. In addition, the program makes them dependent on their local mayor, who assigns jobs and on Fidesz, who introduced the scheme.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the wage participants earn ($175), reportedy allows them a better quality of life than earlier. \u201cThis little bit of money goes a long way in this village.\u201d: fostered workers spruce up the village, renovate buildings and everyone can afford heating during winter, as the mayor puts it,<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can say a lot of things about the workfare program, but one thing is certain, for municipalities like this one, it means survival.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

via New York Times<\/em><\/p>\n

Source: hungarytoday.hu<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1037281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[166],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1037280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cThe fridge is full now\u201d, New York Times Examined Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Fostered Work Scheme – Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/the-fridge-is-full-now-new-york-times-examined-orbans-fostered-work-scheme\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cThe fridge is full now\u201d, New York Times Examined Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Fostered Work Scheme – Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a lengthy article,\u00a0New York Times analyzes\u00a0Hungary\u2019s economy through the Orb\u00e1n government\u2019s national workfare program (a.k.a. fostered work scheme) bringing up a small village as an example. Of the 472 residents of Sikl\u00f3snagyfalu, a municipality near the southern border of Hungary, 73 participate in the program, which reportedly allows them a better quality of life even though the government\u2019s economy policies are -in many aspects, apparently rightfully- criticised. One of Orb\u00e1n\u2019s government most significant and symbolic measures was the implementation of the national workfare program through which\u00a0menial tasks have been given to hundreds of thousands of job seekers across the country. As a result, the national unemployment rate has fallen to 3.8 percent from 11.4 percent, while in this village, there are roughly half as many jobseekers\u00a0as there were before Viktor Orb\u00e1n took office in 2010. Participants earn $175 which is less than half the minimum wage, but roughly double what was paid out in unemployment benefits. Orb\u00e1n and his government transformed political system, institutions and society as a whole often amid criticism of democracy advocates; according to Fidesz\u2019 allies life has definitely improved when considering the economy. Indeed, economy indicators have ameliorated since 2010:\u00a0Government debt has fallen, the country\u2019s credit ratings have improved, the budget deficit has been roughly halved and growth has almost quadrupled. Moreover, wages have risen by more than 10 percent and though still high, deprivation has significantly fallen as well. Critics argue however, that in reality the situation is far from being that \u2018rosy\u2019. For instance, Hungary has slipped to 29th place from 20th on the\u00a0Euro Health Consumer Index, a comparison of European health systems and student performance in reading, math and science has worsened according to the\u00a0PISA tests. In addition, according to World Bank, Hungary has become significantly more corrupt under Orb\u00e1n. Furthermore, authors note that some of Orb\u00e1n and his government\u2019s successes were due to factors beyond their control:\u00a0EU\u2019s funding Between 2009 and 2016 constituted nearly 4 percent of Hungarian GDP, one of the highest ratios in the bloc. On top of that,\u00a0Europe functions as a pressure valve for the Hungarian labor market as roughly 350,000 Hungarians have found work elsewhere in the European Union. Likewise, according to Istv\u00e1n Mad\u00e1r, a senior analyst at a Hungarian financial journal,\u00a0Portfolio, \u201cthey had some special methods, some unorthodox measures, but the overall Hungarian government economic performance was no better than any other regional government.\u201d Authors insist that the Orb\u00e1n government\u2019s success in suppressing unemployment \u201cfades under scrutiny\u201d as well. Most people, who are considered employed, are doing work that did not really need to be done, or are overstaffed for the job. In addition, the program makes them dependent on their local mayor, who assigns jobs and on Fidesz, who introduced the scheme. Nevertheless, the wage participants earn ($175), reportedy allows them a better quality of life than earlier. \u201cThis little bit of money goes a long way in this village.\u201d: fostered workers spruce up the village, renovate buildings and everyone can afford heating during winter, as the mayor puts it, \u201cYou can say a lot of things about the workfare program, but one thing is certain, for municipalities like this one, it means survival.\u201d     via New York Times Source: hungarytoday.hu  \" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/the-fridge-is-full-now-new-york-times-examined-orbans-fostered-work-scheme\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BocskaiRadio\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/molnarzsolt74\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" 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Of the 472 residents of Sikl\u00f3snagyfalu, a municipality near the southern border of Hungary, 73 participate in the program, which reportedly allows them a better quality of life even though the government\u2019s economy policies are -in many aspects, apparently rightfully- criticised. One of Orb\u00e1n\u2019s government most significant and symbolic measures was the implementation of the national workfare program through which\u00a0menial tasks have been given to hundreds of thousands of job seekers across the country. As a result, the national unemployment rate has fallen to 3.8 percent from 11.4 percent, while in this village, there are roughly half as many jobseekers\u00a0as there were before Viktor Orb\u00e1n took office in 2010. Participants earn $175 which is less than half the minimum wage, but roughly double what was paid out in unemployment benefits. Orb\u00e1n and his government transformed political system, institutions and society as a whole often amid criticism of democracy advocates; according to Fidesz\u2019 allies life has definitely improved when considering the economy. Indeed, economy indicators have ameliorated since 2010:\u00a0Government debt has fallen, the country\u2019s credit ratings have improved, the budget deficit has been roughly halved and growth has almost quadrupled. Moreover, wages have risen by more than 10 percent and though still high, deprivation has significantly fallen as well. Critics argue however, that in reality the situation is far from being that \u2018rosy\u2019. For instance, Hungary has slipped to 29th place from 20th on the\u00a0Euro Health Consumer Index, a comparison of European health systems and student performance in reading, math and science has worsened according to the\u00a0PISA tests. In addition, according to World Bank, Hungary has become significantly more corrupt under Orb\u00e1n. Furthermore, authors note that some of Orb\u00e1n and his government\u2019s successes were due to factors beyond their control:\u00a0EU\u2019s funding Between 2009 and 2016 constituted nearly 4 percent of Hungarian GDP, one of the highest ratios in the bloc. On top of that,\u00a0Europe functions as a pressure valve for the Hungarian labor market as roughly 350,000 Hungarians have found work elsewhere in the European Union. Likewise, according to Istv\u00e1n Mad\u00e1r, a senior analyst at a Hungarian financial journal,\u00a0Portfolio, \u201cthey had some special methods, some unorthodox measures, but the overall Hungarian government economic performance was no better than any other regional government.\u201d Authors insist that the Orb\u00e1n government\u2019s success in suppressing unemployment \u201cfades under scrutiny\u201d as well. Most people, who are considered employed, are doing work that did not really need to be done, or are overstaffed for the job. In addition, the program makes them dependent on their local mayor, who assigns jobs and on Fidesz, who introduced the scheme. Nevertheless, the wage participants earn ($175), reportedy allows them a better quality of life than earlier. \u201cThis little bit of money goes a long way in this village.\u201d: fostered workers spruce up the village, renovate buildings and everyone can afford heating during winter, as the mayor puts it, \u201cYou can say a lot of things about the workfare program, but one thing is certain, for municipalities like this one, it means survival.\u201d     via New York Times Source: hungarytoday.hu  ","og_url":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/the-fridge-is-full-now-new-york-times-examined-orbans-fostered-work-scheme\/","og_site_name":"Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BocskaiRadio","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/molnarzsolt74","article_published_time":"2018-04-08T01:48:18+00:00","author":"Moln\u00e1r 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