Knowledge Sharing and Community Development: The Institutional Embedding of Selected Forms of Civil Society Knowledge in Hungarian Higher Education – The Role of FETA

Abstract

This study examines patterns of cooperation between civil society and higher education institutions in Hungary, with particular attention to the role of the Association for Higher Education Counselling (FETA) as an intermediary in the institutionalisation of civil society knowledge. The study explores how professional knowledge generated within civil society becomes embedded in university student support systems, how it is reflected in institutional documents, and how it contributes to strengthening student access, inclusion, community development, and institutional adaptive capacity. From a civil society perspective, the study also considers the relationship between social cohesion and community resilience, highlighting that professional collaborations serve not only service-provision functions but also contribute to community building. The analysis employs qualitative comparative document analysis focusing on six Hungarian higher education institutions: Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), the University of Debrecen (DE), the University of Szeged (SZTE), the University of Pécs (PTE), Neumann János University (NJE), and the University of Dunaújváros (DUE). A five-dimensional analytical framework was developed to assess access, inclusion, civil society participation, institutional partnership, and documentation. The findings identify three patterns of cooperation: an institutionalised partnership model, an emerging network-based model, and a project-based cooperation model. Documentation emerged as a critical factor, as the public visibility of actual professional collaborations was in several cases lower than their substantive sig nificance. The study conceptualises this phenomenon as a visibility paradox. Within this process, FETA can be understood as a catalyst that, through its professional recommendations, methodological resources, and network-based activities, contrib utes to transforming knowledge accumulated within civil society into institutional practices and professional standards. The findings indicate that civil society–higher education cooperation represents an important resource for student support and civic participation. Its sustainability, however, requires systematic documentation of knowledge and practices, long-term funding, and stronger integration into national higher education policy. The study contributes to a better understanding of how civil society knowledge becomes institutionally embedded and how the visibility of civil society initiatives can be strengthened within higher education.