Informal Economies in Post-Socialist Spaces Practices, Institutions and Networks

by Morris, Jeremy; Polese, Abel

• ISBN13: 9781137483065
• ISBN10: 1137483067
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-06-23
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Informed by in-depth case studies focusing on a wide spectrum of micro and macro post-socialist realities from Lithuania to Kosovo, from Ukraine to China, this volume demonstrates the multi-faceted nature of informality and suggests that it is a widely diffused phenomenon, used at all levels of a society and by both winners and losers of post-socialist transition. In particular, by critically engaging with concepts such as bribery, nepotism and illegal transactions in general, the collection suggests that informality has a systemic reality not only at the micro but also, and more importantly, at the macro level. In an attempt to move beyond functionalist or structuralist perspectives, the authors propose that informality at the macro scale is an alternative way of responding to policy-making and that its reality must inform policy decisions.

Author Biography

Jeremy Morris is an Area-Studies specialist at the University of Birmingham, UK. His current research is focused on ethnographic approaches to understanding actual lived experience in the former Soviet Union, particularly in relation to work, class and the diverse economy.

Abel Polese is Senior Research Fellow at Dublin City University, Ireland. He has authored a number of resource tools and publications in eight languages and his project 'Sustainable Development in Cultural Diversity' received the Global Education Award by the Council of Europe in 2011.

Table of Contents

Introduction
PART I: THINKING INFORMALITY AND DEVELOPMENT WRIT LARGE AND SMALL
1. 'Evaluating The Validity Of The Contrasting Theoretical Perspectives Towards The Informal Economy In Ukraine'; Colin Williams And Olga Onoschenko
2. 'Institutional Transformation And Informality In Azerbaijan And Georgia'; Huseyn Aliyev
3. 'Fighting The Shadows Lithuania's Informal Workers And The Financial Crisis'; Ida Harboe Knudsen
4. 'Formal Crutches For Broken Sociality'; Aet Annist
PART II: RE-THEORISING INFORMALITY: POWER, CULTURE, KINSHIP AND HISTORY
5. 'Field Notes On Informality's Culture Of Ubiquity: Recognition And Symbolic Power Within Informal Economic Practices In Kosovo'; Anna Danielsson
6. 'The Importance Of Having Štela: Reproduction Of Informality In The Democratization Sector In Bosnia'; Karla Koutkova
7. 'Perception Vs. Practices: Nepotism In Small Businesses In Bulgaria'; Tanya Chavdarova
8. 'The Importance Of Personalized Relationships In Postsocialist Rural Bulgaria: Informality And The Socioeconomic Success Of Capitalist Agricultural Entrepreneurs'; Christian Giordano
PART III: 'INFORMAL PUBLIC SECTORS AND WELFARE: STATE INTERVENTION OR WITHDRAWAL?'
9. 'Informal Payments For Healthcare Services In Lithuania And Ukraine'; Tetiana Stepurko, Milena Pavlova, Irena Gryga, Liubove Murauskiene, Wim Groot
10. Nuclear Borders: Informally Negotiating The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone'; Thom Davies
11. 'Governing Informal Payments In Healthcare: Lessons From China'; Jingqing Yang
12. 'Informal Economic Practices Within The Kyrgyz Police (Militsiia)'; Liam O'Shea