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Policies to Protect Our Virtual Selves

Submitted by SharkeyC on May 7, 2013
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The advent of the information-rich economy renders personal data into a valuable resource which can be readily exploited and difficult to protect. As online technologies develop and social media grows exponentially, users appear to divulge information about themselves and to accept a company's terms and conditions with a quick click of the mouse. But it is not just carelessness that makes users surrender their privacy but also outdated EU data protection rules from the mid-1990s that are no longer capable or sufficient to adequately respond to prevailing online practices.

Decisions, Decisions: Why We Choose the Things We Do

Submitted by brucknera on Apr 23, 2013
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Should I move to California or Michigan? Should I go to the gym today? How about a chocolate bar? Or a pack of cigarettes? Botond Koszegi and Adam Szeidl, professors in the Department of Economics, have developed a model that explains why most people answer these questions this way: Sunny California. I’ll work out tomorrow. Sure, it’s just a few calories. Yes, I’ll quit smoking this summer.

Supreme Efforts at Internet Censorship in Iran

Submitted by SharkeyC on Apr 9, 2013
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Iranian hardliners have established an array of powerful institutions charged with blocking citizens’ access to “inappropriate” Internet content, including western social media sites like Facebook and YouTube. Nevertheless, Iranians skillfully circumvent state censorship, according to Amy Brouillette, research fellow at the Center for Media and Communication Studies, now part of CEU’s School of Public Policy.

Examining Hungary as an International Development Actor

Submitted by SharkeyC on Mar 26, 2013
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Although some still define Hungary as a country in transition, its membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the EU oblige that it give a percentage of its gross national income (GNI) to underdeveloped countries to assist with health initiatives, poverty reduction, and improving education. Even with a near 11 percent unemployment rate and a struggling economy, Hungary is still one of the 50 richest countries in the world, based on gross national product (GDP) per capita.

Arrested Development: The Story of a Budapest Neighborhood

Submitted by SharkeyC on Mar 12, 2013
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Finely detailed, turn-of-the-century facades, shabby but still elegant, share downtown streets with sleekly modern office fronts. Some grand old dames of architecture are beautifully renovated, others are crumbling. This is Budapest, a city of contrasts, where development may seem random. Alexandra Kowalski, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, sought an explanation.

Your Brain at the Polls: How Brain Function Affects Political Ideology

Submitted by SharkeyC on Feb 26, 2013
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Darren Schreiber is not a neuroscientist, but he'd like to pick your brain just the same. During his PhD studies at UCLA, Schreiber, now a research fellow in CEU's Political Behavior Research Group (PolBeRG), drew on his undergraduate interest in political science and the interdisciplinary style of research he'd been exposed to in order to delve deep into what motivates people's political attitudes cognitively, not socially. He wanted to know if the brains of liberals functioned differently than those of conservatives.

From Exotic to Everyday: The New Silk Road Shrinks a Continent

Submitted by brucknera on Feb 12, 2013
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The Silk Road may conjure up images of the exotic exchange of spices and gold, and arduous camelback treks across the desert. But we will soon associate it with trade in computers and cars, and one day, with travel from London to Singapore in just 72 hours, says Paul Lacourbe, associate professor of operations management at CEU Business School.

Getting Businesses Involved in Solving Social Problems

Submitted by SharkeyC on Jan 29, 2013
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It might not be possible to estimate the amount that substance abuse costs businesses and governments. Yet this undeniable burden remains a sensitive issue that has not been effectively dealt with on national or global levels. Gergely Radacsi, a researcher at CEU's Center for Business and Society, part of CEU Business School, was driven by personal experience of the devastation of substance abuse as well as his background in economics to investigate how business participation could make a difference.

Cars and Cashews: Consumer Culture Behind the Iron Curtain

Submitted by batesonv on Jan 15, 2013
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To the West, the “Iron Curtain” meant a draping of much of Central and Eastern Europe with ideology utterly foreign to democratic and free market concepts. However, a vibrant consumer culture thrived in the region, encouraged by Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev, who believed that socialism could beat capitalism even in the drive for material wealth, traditionally considered a capitalist trait.

Counting Jews: Hungarian Anti-Semitism Became Policy Back in 1920

Submitted by brucknera on Dec 10, 2012

Maria M. Kovacs’ new book is unexpectedly timely. The book, which traces the legal roots of Hungarian anti-Semitism back to quotas imposed in 1920, long before the rise of Nazi Germany, was published on the same day as a Hungarian member of Parliament called for Jewish MPs to be counted.