Civic organizations - an approach of diverse understandings

Abstract

There have been considerable changes in the civic sphere lately, especially as pertains to the promotion and regulation of civil organizations. Until 2011, the picture of civil organizations was, at best, confused. The new Act on Civic Organizations intended to clarify the state of affairs regarding the sphere and determined what groups may be legally recognized as being civic organizations. Among the recently defined options, only two of them might gain wider acceptance in practice, since civic society, while it has fewer obligations, is also now ineligible for state funding. When discussing civic organizations in general, we recognize how diverse their forms are internationally. In making an international comparison of their forms, we use a comparison of the models existing in Hungary and the United States.