Understanding Hungary's support for persecuted Christians: Scrutinising religious motives for giving aid

Abstract

Religion is increasingly acknowledged as a driving force behind development processes; however, it has received little attention as a motivation for donors to give aid. The paper analyses the stated motivations and hidden agendas behind the Hungarian government’s ‘Hungary Helps’ aid programme, aimed at supporting Christian communities in the Global South and reducing migration to Europe. The programme fits with the government’s rhetoric on religion and migration, however, the paper reveals inconsistencies that suggest further motivations. While there is little evidence that there was domestic demand for such a programme, it has been used instrumentally to increase Hungary’s influence among Christian interest groups and their political allies in the US.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14649934231212712
Divisions: College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities
College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities > Politics, History and International Relations
College of Business and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences & Humanities > Aston Centre for Europe
Aston University (General)
Additional Information: Copyright © 2024 Sage Publications. This accepted manuscript version is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/].
Uncontrolled Keywords: Christian persecution,Foreign aid,Hungary,development aid,migration,Development
Publication ISSN: 1464-9934
Last Modified: 13 Dec 2024 08:27
Date Deposited: 17 Oct 2023 11:03
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: https://journal ... TIGNTYRCKF/full (Publisher URL)
http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2024-04-07
Published Online Date: 2024-04-07
Accepted Date: 2023-10-15
Authors: Paragi, Beata
Szent-Iványi, Balázs (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-5883-4601)

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