Kasza, Gyula | Hungary

Gyula Kasza was a doctoral candidate in the Department of Food Economics, at the University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration, Faculty of Food Science, Budapest. He is going to be an IAS-STS Fellow from October 2004-June 2005 and will be funded for this period by the Ernst Mach Grant provided by the Austrian State.

Educational Background:
since 2001: PhD studies at Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration, Faculty of Food Science
1996 – 2001: Kaposvár University Faculty of Animal Science – MSc in Agricultural Economic Engineering

Work History and Professional Trainings:
2003: Science and Technology Studies Unit, Department of Sociology, University of York, United Kingdom. Marie Curie Research Fellow – 6 months 2002-2004: Business coordinator at a private company (part time)
2001-2004: Central Food Research Institute – Department of Food Economy and Quality, researcher
2001: Central Food Research Institute – 3 months professional researcher’s practice
2000: AC Nielsen – 1 month practice of marketing surveys
1999: Farm practice (animal caring and plants) – 2 months
1996: Various business field trainings, as part of university studies, 3 months in total
1996-1998: Editor and Chief Editor of University newspaper

Areas of Professional Interest:
Public engagement in S&T Policy, Consumer attitudes towards GM technology, Consumers and food safety

Project at IAS-STS:  Critical Analysis of Public Participatory Techniques in Science and Technology Policy Making in Regard to GM Food Regulations

My area of work is a critical analysis of public participatory techniques in science and technology policy making, especially in regard to genetically modified food regulations.

The main objective of my thesis is to analyse the role of public participatory techniques in policy-making, especially in the case of Hungary, at a time when we might expect to witness significant shifts in the meaning and expression of democracy, and where great changes can be expected in the general decision-making situation as a result of joining the EU. I would like to use the genetically modified food regulations as the primary substantive area and explore this in a comparative context, and draw my final observations such that broad generalization about the relation between experiments in public participation can be linked to the dynamics of science/state planning.

My thesis is at present at the stage of moving towards its first draft. I would like to extend my knowledge of STS within the Austrian context and develop the analytical core of my thesis and especially its broader theoretical and policy-related conclusions at Graz, with the help of the experienced scholars of the Institute for Advanced Studies and my supervisors.

Selected Publications

Book Chapters

Bánáti Diána - Kasza Gyula (editor: Júlia Takács): Biotechnológia: A magyar fogyasztók és szakemberek élelmiszer-biztonsági kockázatészlelése, BusinessClass Publishing, 2003
(Title in English: „Biotechnology: Risk perception of Hungarian Consumers and Food Professionals in the Field of Food Safety”)

Articles

Lakner Zoltán - Bánáti Diána - Szabó Erzsébet - Kasza Gyula: A magyar fogyasztó és az élelmiszerek biztonsága. A hús, XIII/1-2, 2003
(Title in English: „The Hungarian Consumer and Food Safety”, published in a Hungarian academic paper)

Kasza Gyula – Szabó Rita – Lakner Zoltán: A magyar élelmiszeripari kis- és középüzemek stratégiai primér felmérések tükrében, Konzervújság, XLIX/2, 2001
(Title in English: „Strategies of Hungarian Small and Middle Scale Food Processing Companies in the light of primary data collections”, published in a Hungarian academic paper)

Conference Papers

Kasza Gyula: Felmérési tapasztalatok: Élelmiszer-biztonság a fogyasztók szemszögéből. Élelmiszer-biztonsági Tanácsadók Szövetsége - alakuló ülés és élelmiszer-biztonsági konferencia. Budapest, 10th June 2002
(Title in English: „Findings of a Survey: What is food safety from consumer point of view?”. Invited speaker for the founding session of Advisory Board for Food Safety and scientific conference on food science)

Kasza Gyula: Az élelmiszer-biztonság érzékelése a hazai szakemberek és fogyasztók szemével. XIV. Élelmiszer Minőségellenőrzési Tudományos Konferencia. Sárospatak, 10th October 2002
(Title in English: „Food Safety as Hungarian experts and consumers perceive”, Guest speaker at the Scientific Conference on Food Quality XIV)

Kasza Gyula: Consumer study on the acceptance of food products containing genetically engineered components. 2nd International Conference for Young Researchers of Economics. Gödöllő, 18th October 2002

Bánáti Diána – Kasza Gyula – Szabó Erzsébet – Lakner Zoltán: A GMO és a fogyasztók: A génmódosított összetevőket tartalmazó élelmiszerek fogadtatása kérdőíves felmérés alapján. V. Nemzetközi Élelmiszertudományi Konferencia. Szeged, 25th October 2002
(Title in English: „Consumers and GM food: Consumers’ attitudes toward genetically modified food in the light of a questionnaire based survey”, International Conference on Food Safety V)

Posters

Kasza Gyula: Food safety from the view of the Hungarian consumers based upon a questionnaire survey. 2nd International Conference for Young Researchers of Economics. Gödöllő, 17th October 2002