Scientific career of Gyula Horváth

Abstract

Regional science is a relatively young field not just in Hungary but also in a global sense. Its definition, classification, methods, institutions and main research topics evolved in the second part of the 20th century. In Hungary, this process started in the 1980s with the foundation of regional science research institutes, studies, university departments, and a journal. The contribution and network of Gyula Horváth, one of the first researchers of the topic in the country, substantially impacted the discipline’s birth in Hungary, the creation and development to which he devoted his whole professional career. His work was acknowledged not only by the Hungarian but also by foreign research institutes, organizations, and communities. He played an important role in developing relationships between international (especially European and Russian) and Hungarian regional science researchers and institutes. He was a regular participant in regional science conferences in the Carpathian Basin and supported Ph.D. students and researchers from the Hungarian minorities in Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia and Ukraine. Besides his scientific contribution, he also played an important role in the creation and dissemination of regional science courses, and in the development of bachelor and master programs at universities. Several Ph.D. dissertations were written and defended under his supervision.

In this paper, I describe his multi-dimensional scientific career, its most significant milestones, publications, research projects and roles by dividing them into three periods. After a short introduction, I start with the summary of the 1970s and the 1980s, I follow with the review of the 1990s and, finally, I finish by outlining the years after 2000.