PROGRESS REPORT ‘98
TO THE
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA
By
Árpád Baráth
Principal Investigator
Zagreb – Pécs
December, 1998.
Summary of the Scientific Project Proposal
Code: D24002
Project Title:
The aftermath of war on health and social well-being of the Hungarian
ethnic minority families and communities in Croatia, and perspectives for
their recovery.
Short Project Title:
Health Consequences of War on Hungarian Minority in Croatia.
Date of contracting:
1997.09.19
Starting date of project activities:
1998.01.01.
Principal investigator:
Name: Baráth, Árpád
JMBG: 2810944330037
ID code: 098391
Vocation: Associate Professor of Psychology
Degree: Ph.D.
Current employment:
Janus Pannonius University, Facuty of Humanities,
Department of Sociology and Social Policy
7624 Pécs, Rókus u. 2 Hungary
tel. +36 72 327-622/5342 fax: +36 72 327-622/5350
e-mail: ARPAD@BTK.JPTE.HU
Applicant institution:
Društvo mađarskih znanstvenika i umjetnika u Hrvatskoj
Horvátországi Magyar Tudományos és Művészeti Társaság
/Association of Hungarian Scientists & Artists in Croatia/
Vodovodna 15, 10000 Zagreb, Hrvatska
tel./fax: +385 1 37-76-162
Planned duration of the project:
3 years
Planned expenses (in thousands of US$): Of those actually contracted:
1st year: 26 13
2nd year 24
3rd year 21
Total 71
Background
The study was originally conceived to explore the health consequences of
war on the Hungarian minority population in Croatia. It asks for the
continuation of a pilot survey carried in 1996, on the joint initiation of the
present principal investigators, and the Association of Hungarian Scientists
and Artists from Croatia (Društvo mađarskih znanstvenik i umjetnika iz
Hrvatske). Statistical data gained from this pilot study warn to the fact that
the vast majority (ca. 86%) of this minority population was forced to flee
from home during the wartime. Some 76 per cent of Hungarian families have had
lost own economic infrastructure, which is far higher then the estimated level
of wartime losses for the majority population in the rest of the country. And
last but not least, the same survey suggested the hypothesis that the
mortality rates among refugee Hungarians exceeded the expected rates for 3-4
times, as compared to statistics from pre-war times. It may have exceeded as
well the morbidity and mortality rates of all other ethnic groups exposed to
same or similar traumatic war events (cf. Baráth, 1996).
Objectives:
The study has been set to three basic objectives: First, it is to assess
the changes and losses in the social, economic, and cultural resources of the
Hungarian minority population in Croatia due to the war, including changes in
social mobility. Second, it is to estimate the basic health needs of the
Hungarian minority population in Croatia as of now, i.e. in years after the
war, including housing, work, educational and cultural resources for recovery.
Third, from action research perspectives, the study is to highlight and to
strengthen those positive local initiatives ("good practices"),
which, in turn, may serve as examples of creative community building after
disaster by large, both for this country (Croatia) and else.
Methods
Two basic methods of contemporary social & health sciences research was
designed for this study: descriptive study designs, and action
research methods & techniques. From the first (descriptive) research
perspectives, the study shall rest on the principles and techniques
contemporary public health research, including survey and in-depth interviews
with selected samples of Hungarian minority families from Croatia (N= 300
families, in total), in focusing on those from East Slavonia and Baranja
region. On the other hand, following the descriptive methods, action research
strategies and techniques will be implemented for promoting positive changes
in selected sub-samples families and communities. From this perspectives,
special emphasis will be set on helping returnee families to historic
Hungarian settlements in East Slavonian and Baranja region, such as Kórógy/Korođ,
Szent László/Laslovo, Kopács/Kopecevo, Csúza/Suza and many more.
Planned project activities (by study years):
1st study year:
Analysis of available statistical records and other documents on the
trends and rates social migration of Hungarian families from high-risk
regions of Croatia during the warfare.
Completion of a survey on economic, social and other losses of Hungarian
minority populations from the Croatian Baranja regions (Drávaszög), that
during the warfare (until January 1996) were detached from the rest of the
country.
Field work on the gathering of available statistics on demographic
composition of former populations of major refugee camps in Hungary during
the warfare, where the majority of Hungarian refugee families from Croatia
were placed at, including gathering of available medical records.
2nd study year:
In-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis of survey data and other
empirical measures gathered in the 1st study year, and to generate
indicators on basic social and health needs of the surveyed populations at
different sites of the country.
To conduct series of case studies with selected sub-samples of targeted
(Hungarian) families and communities at different sites of the country in
order to identify "best practices" in their copying with the
economic, social, cultural, and mental health aftermath of war on a long
range.
Preparatory work for action research (see 3rd study year below),
with an emphasis on developing suitable strategies for community development
in all those settlements of Croatia, whereas the statistical rates of native
Hungarians in pre-war times steadily reflected their majority status in
relation to all other ethnic-national groups (since 1961).
3rd study year:
To carry out effectively the action research component part of this
scientific project, with an emphasis on specific techniques of strategic
community development with a sub-sample of dominantly Hungarian settlements in
the East Slavonian & Danubian region (ca. 30 settlements).
To carry out the evaluation of the action (community intervention)
component part of this project, with an active involvement of both groups of
local community representatives and groups of independent professional
observes in the process.
To assess the merits and global impact of this project as a whole on the
well-being of the Hungarian minority population of Croatia, and to make its
major findings accessible to professional and general public both on national
and international level.
Reporting period:
1st study year (January 1- December 31, 1998)
Project Activities & Resources ‘98
Accomplished project activities:
In the first 12-month period virtually all the planned project activities
have been accomplished (see above). If broken down onto quarters, the
activities were accomplished in this order:
January-March ’98:
Preparation for global project activities in ’98,,
Completion of ‘96-97 population survey with a selected samples of 200
Hungarian families from the Croatian Baranja region (Drávaszög),
Preparation of field studies on former refugee camps in Hungary,
Preparation for the Budapest Regional Conference on Anti-Personal
Landmines (Budapest, Hungary, March 26-28, 1998), with an invited
Program Proposal on "Complex physical and psychosocial rehabilitation
of children victims of landmines" to The International Campaign to
Ban Landmines, from the side of The Government and National Assembly of
the Republic Hungary, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Miscellaneous activities (e.g. international networking, application
for subsidiary grants).
April-June, ’98:
Coding of ‘96-97 screening questionnaires (N=200) completed by a
sample of contacted 200 Hungarian families from the Croatian Baranja
region,
Scheduling of joint field work with the local, national and
international representatives of major rescue centers’ statistics in
Hungary during the warfare (Nagyatád, Vése, Békéscsaba, Baja), where
the majority Hungarian refugee families from Croatia fled off during the
warfare,
Preparation for -, and active participation on the European
Foundation Center (EFC) Minorities Interest Group Special Meeting (Budapest,
19-20, 1998), with an invited paper: "Wartime Losses of the Hungarian
Minority in Croatia", prepared by the present principal investigator
to this project (Barath, 1998),
Preparation for -, and active participation on the Tenth Annual Johns
Hopkins International Fellow Conference Building Private Support for
Russian Nonprofit Organizations: A Strategy for the Future. (Moscow,
June 27-July 2, 1998), with an invited paper: "Perspectives
for a complex community development project in Croatia after the warfare:
Case study of Korođ”, prepared by the present principal
investigator to this project (Barath, 1998),
Work meetings with local (national) representatives of former refugee
camps i Hungary for scheduling field work on available documentation
analysis.
July-September, ’98:
Field work & data gathering on five major (former) refugee camp
statistics has been accomplished, resulting with a data base on over 100
thousand refugees to Hungary from former Yugoslavia during the warfare
(1991-1995),
In-depth statistical analysis of comparative data bases of ’96
Household Surveys with over 400 Hungarian families from the East Slavonian
& Baranja region,
Preparation for -, and active participation on the First Round Table of
the applicant institution (HMTMT), "The Past, Present and Future
of Hungarian Minority in Croatia" (Zagreb, September 26-27), with
a current project status report presented by the present principal
investigator & his research associates from Croatia and Hungary.
October-December, ’98:
Completion of qualitative & quantitative data analysis from field
studies and household surveys of nearly 400 Hungarian families from Croatia,
of which 170 families from East Slavonia, 201 family from Baranja, and 23
surveyed families from other regions of the country, according to their
permanent residency from before the war (as of 1991 census),
Preliminary analysis of refugee camp population survey data from Hungary,
including coding over 100 thousand personal records for morbidity and
mortality statistics,
Preparation for case studies with selected number of Hungarian families
from East Slavonian & Baranja region, to be carried out in the 2nd
study year, with comparable (matched-pair) samples of non-Hungarian families
from the same regions,
Extended project activities, including found raising from resources other
then the contracted ones (with the Ministry of Science and Technology,
Republic of Croatia).
Project resources:
Financial resources:
The Agreement for this project (Code #: D24002) between the Ministry of
Science & Technology of the Republic of Croatia and the applicant
institution was signed on September 19th, 1997, by Prof. dr. sc.
Ivica Kostovic (Minister), from the Ministry’s side, and two representatives
of the applicant institution, i.e. dr. sc. Károly Skala (President) and dr.
sc. Árpád Baráth (Principal Investigator). The allocated financial
resources for the accomplishment of the 1st study year were 70.000
Hr kn (ca. 13 thousand US$), which represents exactly one half of the planned
resources. No additional financial support was allocated to this project from
other sources.
Personal resources:
Effectively, five professionals have taken active part in the
accomplishment of project activities planned for this study year. They are:
Baráth, Árpád, principal investigator (MF Zagreb/ JPU Pécs)
Girán, János, research associate (JPU, Pécs)
Héra, Gábor, research assistant (JPU, Pécs)
Horváth László, project manager (HMTMT/DMZUH, Zagreb),
Kunitz, Stephan, project consultant (University of Rochester, USA).
In addition to this 5-member project team, groups of interviewers, local
governance officials, local administrative personnel to refugee camps in
Hungary were help the project from time to time with specific tasks of the
fieldwork (ca. 10 persons, in total).
Equipment & office facilities:
The main project activities were performed at two interlocking work sites
of the principal investigator, one in Zagreb (DMZUH, Vodovodna 15), and the
other in Pécs (JPU, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Sociology and Social
Policy, Rókus u. 2). At both work sites, the customary office supply &
equipment was used, including PC computers connected to the Internet,
telephone & fax lines, Xerox machines, and more, all at the expenses of
this project (see Fiscal Report ’98, below). For specific purposes, the
project’s technical resources were expanded with the purchase of a portable
PC computer (Laptop), at the personal expense of the principal investigator
(ca. 200 US$ with investment).
