A hazai kisvárosok diplomás népessége
The graduate population of Hungarian small towns

Summary/Abstract: Our paper analyses the change in the numbers and the proportions of the graduate population of Hungarian small towns in the light of the data from the last two censuses. We aim to position Hungarian small towns within the urban network and explore their internal differentiation based on hierarchical levels and geographical location. We also compare the results with the complex indicators of the research focused on learning regions. Our main finding is that the graduate population is growing in small towns, similarly to the country and to the urban network as a whole. However, the change in the numbers and proportions shows significant differences along the urban hierarchy. Although there is a catch-up with more prominent cities in the case of small towns with a lower proportion of graduates, this can primarily be attributed to the outstanding dynamics and proportions of the agglomeration towns around Budapest. The impact of this group of settlements is reflected in the exceptional dynamics and high percentages of the small towns classified as the most favourable group of learning cities but located at lower levels of the urban hierarchy, as well as in the observed increase in the standard deviation of settlement data within all levels of the small-town hierarchy. The spatial pattern of graduate population in small towns mirrors the effects of both the hierarchical settlement network development before, and the regional (economic and suburbanization) processes after the change of regime.

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