On the basis of his research and the literature of this issue, he answers such questions as: against what do the households have to defend themselves?, what are traditional methods of defence?, whether these work today?, is it an advantage or disadvantage to be backward in development when it comes to defence?, are there methods of defence that can be learnt?, does the economy of households differ from macro-economy? is there a Hungarian specific method of defence by the households?, what are the basic differences of defence between families of different social status?

It is a survey of the changes in expenditure by households in the past two years on the basis of statistical data. She makes a specific analysis of the changes and the transformation of demands on the basis of social-sociological groups and of the items of the family budget. She draws attention to the economic policy dangers which selects between the bad alternative of leaving the poorest people alone or dissolving the middle classes.

The noted socialist politologist reviews the course and data of the elections in 1990 and the consequences drawn from them. He stresses the significance of the changes of power relations that took place during the year and tries to pinpoint the political mistakes and conditions that reduced the number of voters of the individual parties, and especially of the left wing parties.

On the basis of a wide range of opinions expressed on modernisation in the past decade, the author presents the modernisation theory as a paradigm competing with the ideology of state socialism. He criticises the modernisation theory arguing that it was formulated according to the interests of the highly advanced region only and as such, it is nothing else but the programme of transition from state socialism to state capitalism. The author states that this theory is unable to provide a perspective today and for this reason, his final conclusion is that turning to the postmodern theories can be more fruitful also for the East European region.

The author joins those approaches which do not regard the system left behind as socialism from the point of view of formation theory but determine it as state capitalism. He depicts the analogies of this „state capitalism" in various third world economies and analyses the operation of these systems as their inner structural-power relations. He arrives at the conclusion that the present changes leave the state capitalist structures untouched and this way, it is impossible to break out from the mistaken circles of the „third world". The author sees the solution in a mixed economy kept in balance with antimonopoly measures which is characterised by private property of small enterprises as well as workers' ownership of large companies.