Who Influences the Scope of Demonstrative Equality Thinking of Administrative Agencies in the Field of Anti-discrimination? A Comparison of the Activities of the Hungarian Equal Treatment Authority and the Irish Equality Authority

Age, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and religion or belief are grounds on which it is prohibited to discriminate in the EU member states. Administrative agencies were established in all member states to promote the enforcement of such provisions. These agencies can, for instance, publish recommendations to businesses or the government. Examining the activities of these agencies, one finds considerable variation in how these agencies interpret their broad mandates and use their discretion. For instance, the preliminary analysis of the institutional outputs of the Hungarian Equal Treatment Authority shows that its outputs considerably focus on targeting discrimination based on ethnicity, disability and, to some extent, gender. Yet, the institution is also responsible for supporting the enforcement of anti-discrimination law dealing with characteristics other than ethnicity or gender. Preliminary empirical research suggests that some agencies demonstrate a broader range of activities than others despite having similar competences or resources. This paper, therefore, provides a comparative case study of the Irish and Hungarian anti-discrimination body to understand the influence of politics and civil society on the activities of these agencies. The paper uses interviews and process tracing to identify the causal mechanisms driving an agency’s decision to adopt broad activities in the field of anti-discrimination.