by Andrea Krizsán and Dorottya Fekete
In our recent article in Policy & Politics, we delve into the changing context of policy advice in autocratising Hungary. In this context, the legitimacy of policy expertise is closely linked to the experts’ relationship with the political regime. As experts are increasingly clustered on opposite sides of the political divide – some with limited or no access to policy processes; others too close to the government, undermining their professional credibility – they rely on a series of practices to construct legitimacy.
Policy advisors use various strategies to construct legitimacy. They balance scientific rigour with political relevance. Our analysis demonstrates that even if the main bases of legitimacy (policy relevance and scientific robustness) continue to be seen as benchmarks for constructing legitimacy, they gain new meanings in the context of polarised, autocratising Hungary. This balancing involves distinctive discursive, individual and organisational practices.
We propose three sets of practices that think-tanks use to navigate between meeting existing legitimacy expectations and creating new constructions of legitimacy. First, embracing openly values-driven actions rather than insisting on neutrality. Second, strategically sharpening the distinction between political arenas and arenas of epistemic authority often by separation of individual and organisational identities. Third, reframing the relevance of policy knowledge by diversifying audiences and outcomes to maintain usefulness outside the straight jacket imposed by the political regime.
Our research, based on interviews with think-tanks in Hungary, connects to a global trend of politicised policymaking and post-truth politics. It highlights the agency of policy knowledge producers as they carve out new roles and functions in an increasingly autocratic context. This study underscores the flexibility and resourcefulness of policy advisors in maintaining their legitimacy amidst political turbulence.
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You can read the original research in Policy & Politics at
Krizsán, A., and Fekete, D. (2025). Legitimising policy knowledge in autocratising contexts: the case of Hungary. Policy & Politics (published online ahead of print 2025), available from: < https://doi.org/10.1332/03055736Y2024D000000061>
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