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

by Alena V. Ledeneva

Book Overview

The word blat refers to the system of informal contacts and personal networks which was used to obtain goods and services under the rationing which characterised Soviet Russia. Alena Ledeneva's book is the first to analyse blat in all its historical, socio-economic and cultural aspects, and to explore its implications for post-Soviet society. In a socialist distribution system which resulted in constant shortages, blat developed into an 'economy of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521627435
• ISBN13: 9780521627436
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.1"