The Equilibrium Institute is Hungary’s independent think tank. In order to renew the political discourse in Hungary, we draft political, economic and cultural future visions and write detailed policy proposals and strategies based on these visions. We are engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the most important political, economic and cultural decision-makers. We persuade them of the importance of implementing our policy proposals, and we provide expert assistance in the process of policy implementation.
I OUR VISION
The Equilibrium Institute believes in a Hungary in which diverse political visions and policy proposals can compete freely. In a Hungary in which public discourse is not dominated by political power struggles but by expert debates about the future of our country and the consensus that emerges from these debates. In 2020, the Equilibrium Institute published its political, economic, and social vision of Hungary entitled Hungary 2030 – A Future Vision for Hungarians. In this publication, we charted the path that we need to follow to make Hungary more prosperous and happier.
I OUR MISSION
In line with the vision of Hungary’s future presented in our publication entitled Hungary 2030, the Equilibrium Institute works on creating a smart and environmentally cleaner nation rooted in a strong community. To this end, we write widely appealing and practical policy proposals that serve the development of our country, and we discuss these jointly with the best domestic and international experts.
Our goal is to ensure that the current and future political, economic, and cultural decision-makers learn about our recommendations, come to agree with them and implement them.
I OUR FUNDAMENTAL VALUES
The Equilibrium Institute is a future-oriented policy think tank. It is an autonomous institution, independent of all domestic and foreign parties and political and economic interest groups. Its sole purpose is to contribute to the creation of a more successful and happier Hungary by presenting its work concerning the future vision for Hungary, providing a forum for comparing and contrasting different visions and opinions, and drafting public policy recommendations.
The Equilibrium Institute is happy to cooperate with any political, economic, and cultural stakeholders who can identify with the fundamental values expressed in the vision we outlined in our publication entitled Hungary 2030.
I WHAT WE DO
The work of the Equilibrium Institute centres on five main activities:
- We draft political, economic, and cultural future visions to renew Hungarian political thinking.
- We draft detailed policy proposals and strategies.
- We organise specialised events and programs and release our own publications to widely disseminate our research results.
- We provide training for the new generations who are active in policy-making or implementation.
- We are engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the most important political, economic, and cultural decision-makers. We persuade them of the importance of implementing our policy proposals and we provide expert assistance in the process of policy implementation.
I WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED
Hungary’s largest independent think tank. More than 20 outstanding experts from a variety of fields work together at the Equilibrium Institute to draft policies and build a better future for Hungary.
Professional diversity. Our team includes economists, political scientists, sociologists, climate experts, urban planners, and foreign policy experts with the most varied backgrounds and values, working together as one team. Rather than the standard discussions within the customary filter bubbles, we believe in well-grounded and value-based debates that yield innovative proposals.
A new future vision for Hungary. For several months in 2020, our political and social vision, Hungary 2030 – A Future Vision for Hungarians, was at the top of the bestseller list of non-fiction books in Hungary. In this book, we argue for the importance of an environmentally cleaner Hungary, a smart nation, and a strong community of Hungarians.
Policy proposals. Each month we publish new policy proposals that can help create a more successful Hungary. Be it economic growth; cleaner air; an education policy that creates opportunities for all; a higher quality democracy and civic studies to foster democratic citizenship; sustainable urbanisation; a greater number and higher quality of jobs – the Equilibrium Institute drafts detailed policy proposals in all important policy areas, both in Hungarian and English.
Future-oriented events. In recent years, our Equilibrium Institute events have welcomed, among others, one of the most prominent political thinkers of our times, Francis Fukuyama; the renowned Czech economist Tomáš Sedláček; Benjamin Haddad, the senior director of the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council; the British epidemiologist Richard G. Wilkinson; and Colleen Bell, the former ambassador of the United States to Hungary. Our events about climate change, green financing, the future of democracies and trust, the external relations of the United States and Central Europe, and a wide variety of other issues were attended by thousands of participants.
Engaging decision-makers. Our main objective is for decision-makers to learn about, endorse, and implement our policy proposals. What makes our vision entitled Hungary 2030 unique in Hungary when compared to other think tank publications is that the leaderships of all Hungarian parliamentary parties have read and take a positive view of it. We host public discussions about our policy proposals, and, in addition to political decision-makers, these consultations also involve the top executives of Hungary’s largest corporations, NGOs, the managers of research institutions, and other key decision-makers. Every opinion is important to us, and in the past years we have seen our opinions, too, become increasingly important to many in Hungarian society.
Active media presence. Close to a hundred interviews and articles featuring the Equilibrium Institute’s policy proposals are published annually in leading Hungarian media outlets. We appear week after week in TV shows and radio interviews, as well as on the pages of the most widely-read online news sites and print media. This helps us reach decision-makers as well as hundreds of thousands of citizens who are interested in public affairs.
International relations. Think tanks across the globe work on creating a better world. Our international partnerships allow us to learn a lot from each other; we share our experiences, expert innovations, and policy proposals. The Equilibrium Institute has entered into partnerships with numerous American, German, and Czech thinks tanks, and we collaborate with them in the pursuit of shared goals.
Total independence. Independence is a rare commodity in an extremely polarised world, amidst the life and death struggle of political and economic interest groups. Our Code of Ethics, drafted by Transparency International, we commit ourself unequivocally to full financial and professional independence. Correspondingly, we do not accept any donations that exceed 10% of our annual budget from any source, be it a private person, corporation, or other foundation. By accepting this self-imposed limitation, we can ensure that our think tank will not depend on anyone even informally, whilst we safeguard our intellectual and financial freedom.
