Preface

Summary

This book is based on an exhaustive study of primary and secondary,official and unofficial publications, and on first hand evidence gained from interviews and observations made in a number of co-operative farms. There is no shortage of research materials on either Hungarian economy and society in general, or Hungarian agriculture in particular. In addition to the numerous specialist journals which publish articles to a high academic standard, a number of research institutes concern themselves with agriculture and agricultural co-operatives, and publish internal documents which, although of limited circulation, are freely available to the visiting scholar. Hungarian statistical materials are copious and of a generally high standard and, together with major academic journals and legal materials, are mostly available in the British Library in London. Unprocessed survey data are not usually available to the researcher in Hungary, however.

I visited ten agricultural producer co-operative farms in all during a six month research visit to Hungary in 1976–7. In most farms it was possible to interview upper management only. In the pseudonymous ‘Red Flag’, ‘May 1st’ and ‘Great October’ farms, however, permission was given to interview working and retired members in addition to management, and in the ‘Red Flag’ farm access was granted to official documents, including the minutes of Leadership meetings, and to the year end General Meeting. These three farms were not show-piece farms; but they were economically dynamic and their organisational structure conformed to government recommendation. Other farms visited were less secure, and one had been officially declared ‘bankrupt’ and was having its finances compulsorily reorganised.