The quiet collapse: Authoritarian neoliberalism and the crisis of care of older people in Hungary

The care of older people has undergone significant commodification worldwide. States have increasingly adopted neoliberal policy approaches that have accelerated processes of marketization in the care sector. This paper examines care architecture in an authoritarian neoliberal country that is shaped by conservative, familistic ideologies, using Hungary as a case study. It explores a model of authoritarian neoliberal policymaking and its effects on the home care market for older people in a migration context, showing that the emigration of care workers results in increased regional inequalities and, consequently, the deterioration of the care workforce in the countries of origin. Under this authoritarian neoliberal regime, the home care sector remains underfunded, poorly regulated and largely neglected in public discourse, contributing to a substantial and growing care crisis.