Our activities focus on the study of ecologically sustainable processes that promote planetary health and justice for human communities and other species, as well as the university's democratic, active, and effective involvement in these issues. To this end, we use inter- and transdisciplinary, qualitative, experiential, participatory, and action-oriented research and teaching methods, and we strive to introduce, operate, disseminate, and institutionalize university community engagement processes that support the shift toward social justice and sustainability.

Our mission:

• to reinterpret the university's third mission, to expand and deepen the university's community engagement activities
• to promote local community engagement and cooperation
• promoting social and environmental responsibility and justice
• focusing on human, non-human, and environmental well-being, facilitating the transition to sustainability
  
• promoting equal opportunities

University courses taught:

• Business Ethics
• Corporate social responsibility
• Diverse Workplace: Equal Opportunities in the Labor Market
• Ecological Economics: From Crisis to Hope
• Ecology and planetary health
• Economic sociology
• Innovation policy
• Introduction to Environmental Economics
• Introduction to Qualitative Research
• Introduction to Social Research
• Introduction to Sociology
• Nature and economics
• Science with Social Impact
• Service Learning
• Social integration of disadvantaged groups
• Sustainable local economic development
• Sustainable mobility management
• Sustainable tourism
• Technology and sustainability

Corporate social responsibility

The Institute coordinates the English-language "Ecological Economics" training program of the Doctoral School of Economics in the University of Szeged. We work in close cooperation with the Environmental Social Science Research Group (ESSRG), the Research Centre for Ecological Economics at the Corvinus University of Budapest, and numerous local civil society organizations.

Academic staff

The work of the Institute is supported by

PhD students

Selected international publications by our colleagues over the past five years

Wahyuni, Andi Sri, György Málovics, and Judit Gébert. 2025. "Critical Factors Influencing Sustainable and Impactful University–Community Engagement: A Systematic Review of Top-down and Bottom-up Initiatives." International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. doi:10.1108/IJSHE-02-2024-0089.

Málovics, György, Zsuzsanna Margit Géring, Zoltán Bajmócy, Judit Juhász, Sára Csillag, and Gábor Király. 2025. "University–community engagement and sustainability change: Opportunities and constraints for business schools." The International Journal of Management Education 23(3):101228. doi:10.1016/j.ijme.2025.101228.

Berki, Boglárka, György Málovics, and Remus Creţan. 2025. “Aspirations versus reality: Factors influencing the vertical social mobility of urban Roma mothers living in extreme poverty.” Habitat International 158:103334. doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103334.

Wahyuni, Andi Sri, György Málovics, and Judit and Gébert. 2025. “Discussions of challenges in implementing UCE for community development: Case from a top-down context.” Community Development 0(0):1–23. doi:10.1080/15575330.2025.2473078.

Málovics, György, Zoltán Bajmócy, Janka Csernák, Bori Fehér, Márta Frigyik, Judit Juhász, Réka Matolay, András Müllner, and Rita Szerencsés. 2025. “The potential role of university community engagement in supporting transformative social innovation – experiences from Hungary.” Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research 38(1):366–96. doi:10.1080/13511610.2024.2399605.

Rückle, Karolin, Mario Rohrer, Barbara Mihók, Maria Johansson, Hanna Andersson, Muhammad Saleem Pomee, Eleni Vergadi, Glykeria Rouva, Apoorv Agrawal, Balint Balázs, Erika Brattich, Maria Carelli, Claudia De Luca, Silvana Di Sabatino, Sruthi Krishnan V, Anna Molter, Francesco Pilla, Paolo Ruggieri, Anna Scolobig, and Elke Hertig. 2025. "Determinants and Relationships of Climate Change, Climate Change Hazards, Mental Health, and Well-Being: A Systematic Review." Frontiers in Psychiatry 16. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1601871.

Wahyuni, Andi Sri, György Málovics, András Müllner, Bori Fehér, Janka Csernák, Judit Juhász, Márta Frigyik, Réka Matolay, Rita Szerencsés, and Zoltán Bajmócy. 2024. “The Role of Boundary Spanners in Institutionalizing University–Community Engagement: Insights from a Hostile Setting.” International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement 12(1). doi:10.37333/001c.127562.

Mihók, Barbara, Judit Juhász, and Judit Gébert. 2023. “Slow science and ‘caring’ research – the transformative power of collaborative research with hard of hearing youths”. IJAR – International Journal of Action Research 19(2):157–73. doi:10.3224/ijar.v19i2.06.

Wahyuni, Andi Sri, and György Málovics. 2023. “Top-Down Motivation in University–Community Engagement.” Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 27(4). https://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/jheoe/article/view/2954.

Gébert, Judit, Zoltán Bajmócy, György Málovics, Judit Juhász, and Boglárka Méreiné Berki. 2023. “The role of moral values in urban planning: Can the capability approach make a contribution?” Regional Science Policy & Practice 15(2):357–71. doi:10.1111/rsp3.12624.

Málovics, György, Judit Juhász, and Zoltán Bajmócy. 2022. “The potential role of university community engagement (UCE) in social justice and sustainability transformation - the case of the University of Szeged (Hungary).” DETUROPE - The Central European Journal of Tourism and Regional Development 14(3):103–28. doi:10.32725/det.2022.024.

Bajmócy, Zoltán, Barbara Mihók, and Judit Gébert. 2022. “Furthering Social Justice for Disabled People. A Framework Based on Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach.” Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Sociologia 67(1):69–84. doi:10.2478/subbs-2022-0003.

Köves, Alexandra, and Zoltán Bajmócy. 2022. “The end of business-as-usual? – A critical review of the air transport industry’s climate strategy for 2050 from the perspectives of Degrowth.” Sustainable Production and Consumption 29:228–38. doi:10.1016/j.spc.2021.10.010.

Méreiné-Berki, Boglárka, György Málovics, and Remus Creţan. 2021. “‘You Become One with the Place’: Social Mixing, Social Capital, and the Lived Experience of Urban Desegregation in the Roma Community.” Cities 117:103302. doi:10.1016/j.cities.2021.103302.

Juhász, Judit, György Málovics, and Zoltán Bajmócy. 2021. “Co-Creation, Reflection, and Transformation. The Social Impact of a Service-Learning Course at the University of Szeged.” Vezetéstudomány - Budapest Management Review 51(7):6–17. doi:10.14267/VEZTUD.2021.07.02.

Málovics, György, Boglárka Méreiné Berki, and Melinda Mihály. 2021. “Policy reform instead of policy transformation? Experiences of participatory action research (PAR) on desegregation policy in Szeged, Hungary”. IJAR – International Journal of Action Research 17(1–2021):81–101. doi:10.3224/ijar.v17i1.05.

Málovics, György, Judit Juhász, Boglárka Méreiné Berki, Barbara Mihók, István Szentistványi, György Pataki, Mihály Nagy, and Janka Tóth. 2021. “Confronting Espoused Theories with Theories-in-Use: Challenges of Participatory Action Research with Marginalized Communities in Contributing to Social Change and Theory Building.” Action Research 19(2):255–76. doi:10.1177/1476750318774389.

Kovács, Eszter, Orsolya Mile, Veronika Fabók, Katalin Margóczi, Ágnes Kalóczkai, Veronika Kasza, Anita Nagyné Grecs, András Bankovics, and Barbara Mihók. 2021. “Fostering adaptive co-management with stakeholder participation in the surroundings of soda pans in Kiskunság, Hungary – An assessment.” Land Use Policy 100:104894. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104894.

Hideg, Éva, Barbara Mihók, Judit Gáspár, Péter Schmidt, András Márton, and András Báldi. 2021. “Assessment in horizon scanning by various stakeholder groups using Osgood’s semantic differential scale – A methodological development”. Futures 126:102677. doi:10.1016/j.futures.2020.102677.