#19 Early Mental Health Wellbeing as Economic Investment, with Máté Hajba

In the latest episode of The We Are Innovation Podcast, host Federico N. Fernández sat down with Máté Hajba, Director of the Free Market Foundation in Hungary and our newest Hungarian partner organization.Máté shared his research on why early childhood mental health intervention represents one of the most crucial investments European societies can make for their future. Drawing from his chapter in the recent publication “FundaMENTAL Health: Addressing Mental Health Crisis in Europe,” he explained how the first three years of a child's life create the foundation for lifelong mental wellbeing and societal participation.We explored the liberal principles that should guide mental health policy, including the importance of individual choice, public-private cooperation, and child-centric approaches that prioritize individual needs over one-size-fits-all solutions. Our Guest:Mate Hajba (HUN) is the Director of the Free Market Foundation, which advocates economic freedom, civil rights and tolerance. He is also the Vice President of Civic Platform, which runs anti-racist campaigns and promotes democratic values. He is interested in the relationship between the state and the individual and in the concept and history of liberty. He writes for international press on issues such as intolerance in Hungary and international relations. You can find more on his work at https://szabadpiac.org/. Links and further reading: Free Market Foundation Becomes We Are Innovation’s First Hungarian Partner Organization - https://cutt.ly/frITgk6Q Fundamental Health – Addressing Mental Health Issues in Europe - https://cutt.ly/KrIThzyb To stop kids buying energy drinks, reform education - https://cutt.ly/6rITkyjk Follow We Are Innovation: TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weare_innovation X - https://twitter.com/innovationweare LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareinnovation/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/innovationweare/ Web: https://weareinnovation.global Music: Summer - Bensoundhttps://www.bensound.comSupport by RFM - NCM: https://bit.ly/37ILNluAbout We Are Innovation: We Are Innovation is a dynamic network of individuals and institutions who fervently believe in the power of innovation to drive progress and solve the world’s most pressing problems. With a global presence encompassing over 50 think tanks, foundations, and NGOs, We Are Innovation represents the diverse voices of a global civil society committed to advancing human creativity, embracing new technologies, and promoting innovative solutions. Through our collaborative approach and cutting-edge expertise, we are spearheading transformative change on a global scale. To learn more about our work, visit us at https://weareinnovation.global/.