Law Enforcement and Social Protection: Ethical Challenges of the Enforcement System

Judicial enforcement embodies a delicate balance between the rule of law and social justice: it simultaneously serves the enforcement of creditors’ rights and the maintenance of legal certainty, while also carrying significant social risks, particularly for vulnerable debtors. The aim of this dissertation is to explore the relationship between the Hungarian enforcement system and the social safety net, with special attention to the legal and ethical aspects of procedures affecting housing security, such as evictions. The research adopts an interdisciplinary approach, combining legal analysis, empirical data processing, and socio-ethical examination. The findings of the research reveal that enforcement is not merely a legal-technical process but also carries social responsibility, in which the role of the state and the social safety net is crucial. The dissertation concludes that the effectiveness of the Hungarian enforcement system can only be improved if social protection mechanisms are simultaneously strengthened and the principle of proportional solidarity is upheld. Based on this, the thesis formulates proposals for the socio-ethical reform of enforcement procedures, as well as for the introduction of measures that prevent evictions and strengthen housing security.