Corvinus University launches Central and Eastern European Center for Household Finance

Professors and researchers from the Institute of Finance at Corvinus University of Budapest have announced the establishment of the Central and Eastern European Center for Household Finance (CEEC-HF). Led by Dr. Zsuzsa R. Huszár, Associate Professor and Founder of CEEC-HF, the center aims to address issues in household finance across the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. With a focus on housing affordability, retirement planning, gender and racial equality, and sustainability, CEEC-HF seeks to improve living standards and promote equitable financial solutions in the Visegrad 4 (V4) countries — Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. 

The initiative, supported by a Visegrad grant, started from the need to tackle the economic and environmental challenges linked to the dominance of housing assets in retirement portfolios. In many V4 countries, retirees face housing affordability and quality issues, exacerbated by limited financial liquidity and under-diversified retirement portfolios. The center unites researchers from diverse fields such as economics, finance, and social sciences to generate actionable evidence-based solutions, propose innovative policies, and foster sustainable living conditions. 

The CEEC-HF team at Corvinus University includes Dr. Zsuzsa R. Huszár, head of the initiative, alongside Dr. Erzsébet T. Varga, an expert in family economics with a specialized focus on child welfare and household well-being; Dr. Ágnes Vaskövi, who specializes in aging populations and retirement planning; and Dr. Zsuzsanna Tamásné Vőneki, focusing on financial and sustainability aspects of housing markets. These experts collaborate with academic partners across the V4 region. From the University of Economics in Bratislava (Slovakia), researchers Erika Neubauerová, Eva Pongrácz, Kornélia Beličková, and Silvia Šipikalová bring expertise in retirement and household finance. Tomas Bata University in Zlin (Czechia) contributes a team led by Prof. Drahomíra Pavelková, with specialists such as Martina Rosíková and Dr. Blanka Jarolímová focusing on housing markets, tax policy, and financial literacy. The Prague University of Economics and Business (Czechia) is represented by labor economics expert Dr. Lucia Baruskova, while from Wroclaw University of Economics and Business (Poland) Professors Paweł Kuśmierczyk and Radosław Kurach, experts in retirement and behavioral finance and Anita Makowska, housing market expert. The University of Economics in Katowice (Poland) also joins the initiative with quantitative finance researcher Professor Ewa Dziwok and public policy expert Professor Artur Walasik.

CEEC-HF has planned a series of workshops to engage stakeholders, starting with the first V4 Household Finance Research Workshop in Budapest, in April 2025. This workshop will bring together academics and policymakers to address critical challenges, including housing market disparities, energy inefficiency, and generational wealth transfer. A follow-up workshop in Slovakia, hosted by the University of Economics in Bratislava, will continue these discussions in the fall of 2025. 

The center’s mission extends beyond academic research. By encouraging interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration, CEEC-HF aspires to become a leading think tank in household finance topics within the CEE region. Researchers and Ph.D. students are invited to join this initiative to contribute to impactful research and policy solutions. Therefore, the center is dedicated to advancing a secure financial future for all generations in Central and Eastern Europe, ensuring equitable access to housing and promoting sustainable development.