Russia's Economy of Favours: Blat, Networking and Informal Exchange

by Alena V. Ledeneva

Overview

This book examines the little-known phenomenon of blat—the use of informal contacts and personal networks to obtain goods and services under the rationing that pervaded Soviet Russia. Alena Ledeneva analyzes the historical, socioeconomic and cultural aspects of blat, and explores its implications for post-Soviet Russia. The political and economic reforms introduced since the collapse of the Soviet Union have radically affected everyday practices, but an understanding of blat remains crucial for interpreting the social, economic and criminal problems that affect the development of a market economy in post-Soviet Russia.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521621748
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/06/1998
Series:	Cambridge Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies , #102
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

Table of Contents

List of cartoons; List of figures and tables; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Blat: the unknown phenomenon; 2. Understanding blat; 3. The Soviet order: a view from within; 4. The use of personal networks; 5.Blat as a form of exchange: between gift and commodity; 6. Networking in the post-Soviet period; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"The book represents a significant new stage in research by scholars trained in Russia." Michael Paul Sacks, The Russian Review

"Ledeneva's analysis is careful, well-presented, subtle, and intelligent." Slavic Review

"Russia's Economy of Favours makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the late Soviet period, of the informal side of Soviet society, and of the social effects of the collapse of the Soviet union." Journal of Modern History

From the Publisher