"Creative responses to ongoing challenges can make politics successful," said Tilo Schabert at the presentation of his book in Budapest. The renowned German historian and political scientist's bestselling work, *Boston Politics – The Art of Creative Power*, has now been published in Hungarian by MCC Press and the Center for Fundamental Rights.
Becoming a political leader is a journey through personal transformation, the author emphasized. According to Tilo Schabert, one cannot be fully prepared for what it means to govern a city or a country. Knowledge is just one element; a leader must also possess inner strength and strong character, he added.
At the book launch's roundtable discussion, the author was joined by Josef Patzelt, guest lecturer at MCC; András Lánczi, MCC board member and professor at Corvinus University; Péter Törcsi, research director at the Center for Fundamental Rights; and Sándor Gallai, head of MCC’s School of Social and Historical Sciences.
"The Hungarian media has been covering Boston Politics since 2014," noted MCC Director-General Zoltán Szalai in his opening remarks. He highlighted that the book is not primarily about the work of Boston’s mayor but rather presents political creativity in extraordinary detail. MCC aims to ensure that similarly essential works in Hungarian are available to readers interested in public affairs, he added.
Although the book provides an in-depth analysis of Boston’s City Hall, it also offers universal lessons for politics and political science, emphasized Miklós Szánthó at the event’s opening. The director-general of the Center for Fundamental Rights pointed out that the book does not provide ready-made solutions or templates for political actors.
Josef Werner Patzelt, guest lecturer and former professor at the Dresden University of Technology’s Department of Political Systems and Comparative Analysis, highlighted that the book is both a detailed political case study and an analytical work that allows for broader philosophical conclusions about the nature and functioning of politics.
András Lánczi, former rector of Corvinus University, noted during the discussion that the book is unique because the author elevates a concrete empirical example into the realm of universal political philosophy.
Péter Törcsi, research director at the Center for Fundamental Rights, discussed how the presentation of Kevin White’s political career demonstrates that legal, constitutional, and institutional frameworks are not limitations on political action but rather tools that facilitate effective and successful decision-making.
With Boston Politics – The Art of Creative Power, German historian and political scientist Tilo Schabert set out to establish a new political paradigm, offering answers to this question. In his analysis, which also explores the career of Boston mayor Kevin White, Schabert reveals the deliberate development of a future city leader who became a successful politician through public administration and shaping public discourse. He does this by providing a precise portrayal of Boston’s City Hall, offering insights into the motivations of modern political leaders.
This iconic work, which has served as a foundational text for multiple generations of politicians, has been published in Hungarian by MCC Press and the Center for Fundamental Rights. It is now available in bookstores!
