nam 22 uu 4500 10.59704/1569027e117e47b5 DE-Verfassungsblog cr||||| 251015s2025||||xx#|||||o|||| ||| 0|eng|| 10.59704/1569027e117e47b5 doi eng 342 23 Hanelt, Etienne Author aut (orcid)0000-0002-7287-0668 Castles of Illiberal Thought - The Rise and Role of Government-Organised Non-Governmental Organisations in Academic Contexts Hanelt, Etienne Verfassungsblog 2025-10-15 Text txt rdacontent Computermedien c rdamedia Online-Ressource cr rdacarrier On the hills of Buda, a vast new campus for Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) – an Orbán-linked “think tank” and training ground for illiberal elites – is taking shape. Though still little known internationally, MCC has grown into a sprawling network with over 35 locations across Hungary, the wider Carpathian Basin, and even Brussels. Its recent “report” attacking the EU’s Jean Monnet programme and individual academics as “propagandists” signals how it seeks to shape narratives about Europe and academia. Positioned at the intersection of authoritarian legitimation and elite co-optation, MCC is not just a Hungarian phenomenon – it is a challenge to academic freedom with broader European implications. CC BY-SA 4.0 Academic Freedom Freedom of research Hungary Viktor Orbán Max Steinbeis Verfassungsblog gGmbH Verfassungsblog 2366-7044 https://verfassungsblog.de/castles-of-illiberal-thought/ raw object