Poverty and Social Transfers in Hungary

By Christiaan N. Grootaert This study addresses the question of how well Hungary's system of cash social transfers helps prevent or alleviate poverty -whether different types of social transfer, or changes in eligibility rules, might better alleviate poverty. The social safety net in Hungary and other transition economies has undergone important changes. The conventional benchmark for measuring poverty in Hungary -the subsistence minimum- has lost much of its relevance because of the transition to a market economy. The author proposes...