{"product_id":"russias-economy-of-favours-blat-networking-and-informal-exchange-paperback-9780521627436","title":"Russia's Economy of Favours; Blat, Networking and Informal Exchange (Paperback) 9780521627436","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eRussia's Economy of Favours\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eBlat, Networking and Informal Exchange\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis book examines the little-known phenomenon of blat - the use of informal contacts and personal networks to obtain goods and services under the rationing which pervaded Soviet Russia.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eAlena V. Ledeneva (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780521627436, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback, published 6 August 1998\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e256 pages, 19 b\/w illus.  9 tables\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.38 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e'In a most felicitous fashion this book weds analytical sophistication to the initimate, inside knowledge and 'feel' of Russian realities. Whether a seasoned expert in Russian history and culture or just a person interested in unfamiliar yet fascinating ways of life, the reader will be richly rewarded by a much deeper understanding of how Soviet and post-Soviet society, worked and goes on working, and what the experience of living in that society feels like.' Zygmunt Bauman, University of Leeds\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eThe 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 favours' which shadowed an overcontrolling centre and represented the reaction of ordinary people to the social constraints they faced. In social and economic terms, blat exchanges became vital to the population, and to the functioning of the Soviet system. The book shows that the nature of the economic and political changes in contemporary Russia cannot be properly understood without attention to the powerful legacy of the blat economy.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eList of cartoons\u003cbr\u003e List of figures and tables\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgements\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e 1. Blat: the unknown phenomenon\u003cbr\u003e 2. Understanding blat\u003cbr\u003e 3. The Soviet order: a view from within\u003cbr\u003e 4. The use of personal networks\u003cbr\u003e 5.Blat as a form of exchange: between gift and commodity\u003cbr\u003e 6. Networking in the post-Soviet period\u003cbr\u003e Appendix\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Social issues \u0026amp; processes [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Social issues \u0026amp; processes\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Social%20issues%20\u0026amp;%20processes%20%5BJFF%5D%22\"\u003eJFF\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46003080397080,"sku":"9780521627436","price":34.89,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/products\/9780521627436_36452c4c-091a-49da-b60e-e32d8cc4c7fc.gif?v=1691379208","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/russias-economy-of-favours-blat-networking-and-informal-exchange-paperback-9780521627436","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}