Research Activities

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I. Externally funded research

1. Framework programmes funded by the European Commission

  • FP6 REFGOV, an integrated research project on reflexive governance. The Center participates in two sub-networks. The field research in the sub-network Corporate Governance was concluded in 2009 and now the revision of an accepted journal publication is the most urgent task.
  • The Center participates in another sub-network on "Corporate Governance and Interfirm Networks in the wine industry in Europe". We concluded and submitted our National Report on the Hungarian wine industry. In 2010 the network coordinator and other researchers visited Hungary to meet several chosen wine-makers and visit cellars that contributed to the report. The Center organized their program and moderated the discussions. Working paper is to be published.
  • ERASMUS TEMPO CSR, an action programme on elaborating a trans-European executive education curriculum on CSR. Six European business schools participate in this consortium. The Center is responsible for participating in overall curriculum development and testing them with two courses.
  • FP7 IMPACT measuring social impact and sustainability of CSR activities. Its main objective is to develop CSR measurement methods, defining what incentives to use and how to achieve that public policy framework promote CSR. The Center is involved in three of the seven research work packages, including the determination of the conceptual framework, the preparation of case studies of several businesses in selected sectors and the participation in Delphi analysis, a poll among experts.
  • FP 6 action porgramme EASY-ECO, a series of conference and training on the evaluation of sustainable development, sponsored by the Marie Curie Conferences and Training Courses Action. The Center organized a major conference in Budapest on 16-18 October 2009 on the Stakeholder Perspectives in Evaluating Sustainable Development. The event featured parallel sessions, plenary talks as well as interactive and participatory group work and provided opportunity for networking and informal discussions with experts and peers for participants from five continents. The first two volumes of a book series from the project research has been published, edited by Peter Hardi and Andre Martinuzzi (Evaluating Sustainable Development. Edward Elgar: London, UK Vol. 1 and 2 (2007 and 2008). Book chapter by P. Hardi was published in 2007; next volume and book chapter is under preparation. 

2. EABIS funded research

In cooperation with the Polish Leon Kozminsky Business Academy, the Center is developing a methodology for case study writing and prepares two case studies on Hungarian companies.

3. CSR and stakeholder research project funded by and prepared for E.on Hungary

The Center has already completed the research that aimed at developing a KPI system for top management level at the company, and also presented the findings of the reflexive stakeholder mapping research. In the second phase of the cooperation, we will prepare an analysis of the CSR activities of the major Hungarian competitors of E.on.

4. Bellagio STAMP project (Sustainable Assessment and Measurement Principles) funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and IISD.

It aims at developing a general set of guidelines for measuring sustainable development, an international team with the co-leadership of Prof. Hardi worked out a set of sustainability assessment and measurement principles. OECD has also joined this initiative through launching its project measuring social progress. The new sets of principles are already published on the OECD and some other major websites. Presently Prof Hardi with his co-authors are writing a journal article on the Principles, to be published in 2010.

II. The Center’s own initiative without or minimal external funds

1. Sustainable use of natural resources: The case of bio-energy

The Center, in cooperation with the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, conducted research on bio-energy production potentials in selected East European and Central Asian countries. The findings were summarized in a monograph and a research paper is submitted to a peer reviewed journal.

 2. CSR and Complex Society Issues

Peter Hardi and Gergely Radácsi reached the final stage of their joint research project concentrating on the construction of a framework to connect CSR to complex society issues. In the frame of the reseach, the Center participates in a national network aiming at the promotion of workplace prevention programmes in the field of substance abuse and mental health promotion. The findings will be published in peer reviewed international journals.

3. Sustainability in the Board Rooms

This research, in cooperation with IISD, is aimed at analyzing the extent by which corporate boards discuss sustainability issues and rely on sustainability indicators in their decisions.