Characteristics and Origins of the Comecon Open‐air Market in Hungary

Abstract

This paper looks at the evolution of the open-air marketplace in Hungary in terms of the theory of path-dependent development. The current post-communist open-air market has its origins in the economic peculiarities of the former communist distribution and production system and still bears many of these characteristics. The paper traces the distinctive ways in which this shaped open-air trading in Hungary. Drawing upon historical and anthropological evidence, the paper also shows how open-air markets had their roots in an even earlier pre-communist period which shaped the path of development which they subsequently took. The second half of the paper draws upon a unique empirical study of four markets in four towns in Hungary in the post-communist period to look in more detail at what are the characteristics of these open-air markets. The paper considers to what extent open-air markets have characteristics which can be found anywhere in the world and to what extent they are specific to the post-communist situation. Copyright Joint Editors and Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1999.

Statistics and Reality : Concepts and Measurements of Migration in Europe

“…The first of these characteristics implies special migration patterns, such as suitcase trade (Czakó & Sik 1999;Sik & Wallace 1999) and 'Comecon marketplaces' (Sik 1999) and an elaborated system of openair daily labour markets (Sik 2002).…”

Borderlands : Comparing Border Security in North America and Europe

“…One exception to this "intellectual void" is a collection of academic papers on the issue of open-air markets in central Europe published in the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research in 1999. The core of this special issue was based on an extensive study carried out by Czako and Sik (1999) in which they analyzed four open-air markets in Hungary. In their contribution to this special issue Sik and Wallace (1999, 701) attempted to systematize the structural changes that had influenced the development of the open-air markets of central and eastern Europe, formulating six major changes: (1) the deconstruction of the socialized retail sector, (2) the disappearance of bilateral international trade, (3) the opening of previously closed borders, (4) the "vanishing" of the strong and paternalistic state, (5) the growth of a "western" consumer culture, and (6) the rapidly decreasing standard of living.…”

“…The study by Czako and Sik (1999) provides detailed information about four Hungarian open-air markets, but the data used in their study stemmed from a project carried out in 1995-96, and it is important to keep in mind that this was before the introduction of any transitional measures, such as introducing visas for certain countries, in anticipation of Hungary's accession to the EU and the Schengen Agreement were in place. In other words this report more or less described the heyday of open-air markets in central and eastern Europe.…”

“…The second most important category involved the geographic origin of the products, in the West, as the bazaars were likely satisfying the growing culture of western-style consumption. A particularly interesting aspect of the research by Czako and Sik (1999) is the comparison of price levels. The prices in general would be expected to be lower compared to the national level, and this was especially true for textile products, the prices of which were about half the level seen elsewhere.…”

“…Data from a study of four Hungarian markets at the end of the twentieth century (Czako and Sik 1999) was presented earlier in this chapter to illustrate the "who" and "what" of open-air markets. Since that study was conducted, ten former Communist states in central and eastern Europe have been admitted to the EU (eight in 2004 and two in 2007), and many of these countries have had to prepare for their Schengen membership by tightening their border-security regimes and changing their attitudes toward illegal immigration.…”