Informal Economies in Post-Socialist Spaces

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

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2. 1

   1. Introduction

      • Abel Polese, Jeremy Morris

      Pages 1-21

3. Thinking Informality and Development Writ Large and Small

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 23-23

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   2. Evaluating the Validity of the Contrasting Theoretical Perspectives towards the Informal Economy in Ukraine

      • Colin C. Williams, Olga Onoshchenko

      Pages 25-50

   3. Institutional Transformation and Informality in Azerbaijan and Georgia

      • Huseyn Aliyev

      Pages 51-69

   4. Fighting the Shadows: Lithuania’s Informal Workers and the Financial Crisis

      • Ida Harboe Knudsen

      Pages 70-94

   5. Formal Crutches for Broken Sociality

      • Aet Annist

      Pages 95-113

4. Retheorizing Informality: Power, Culture, Kinship and History

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 115-115

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   2. Field Notes on Informality’s Culture of Ubiquity: Recognition and Symbolic Power within Informal Economic Practices in Kosovo

      • Anna Danielsson

      Pages 117-138

   3. The Importance of Having štela: Reproduction of Informality in the Democratization Sector in Bosnia

      • Karla Koutkova

      Pages 139-153

   4. Perceptions vs. Practices: Nepotism in Small Businesses in Bulgaria

      • Tanya Chavdarova

      Pages 154-174

   5. The Importance of Personalized Relationships in Post-Socialist Rural Bulgaria: Informality of New Capitalist Entrepreneurs

      • Christian Giordano

      Pages 175-192

5. Informal Public Sectors and Welfare: State Intervention or Withdrawal?

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 193-193

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   2. Informal Payments for Healthcare Services in Lithuania and Ukraine

      • Tetiana Stepurko, Milena Pavlova, Irena Gryga, Liubove Murauskiene, Wim Groot

      Pages 195-224

   3. Nuclear Borders: Informally Negotiating the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

      • Thom Davies

      Pages 225-244

   4. Governing Informal Payments in Healthcare: Lessons from China

      • Jingqing Yang

      Pages 245-269

   5. Informal Economic Practices within the Kyrgyz Police (militsiia)

      • Liam O’Shea

      Pages 270-293

6. Conclusion

   1. Conclusion

      • Jeremy Morris, Abel Polese

      Pages 294-299

7. Back Matter

   Pages 300-302

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Informed by in-depth case studies focusing on a wide spectrum of micro and macro post-socialist realities, this book 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.

• Informal economies
• informality
• postsocialism
• anthropology
• sociology
• Caucasus
• Eastern Europe
• former USSR
• corruption
• health sector
• bribe
• China
• democratization
• development
• Import
• Institution
• nature
• production
• service
• socialism

“The book gives an excellent overview on the issues of informality in post-Soviet countries. It provides a broad perspective of the main aspects concerning informality in society, emphasising, but not limiting itself to economics. It is easy to read … . The book may be recommended not only to scholars, but also to policy makers, practitioners and anyone who is interested in the post-Soviet region.” (Ilona Baumane-Vītoliņa, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 69 (1), 2017)

“This book presents a compelling and valuable analysis of informal practices in the post-socialist space. … This book will be of interest to researchers seeking to understand the ways in which informal practices are experienced and become embedded in everyday practices.” (Thomas O’Brien, Global Crome, Vol. 13 (3), September, 2016)

• University of Birmingham, UK

  Jeremy Morris

• Dublin City University, Ireland

  Abel Polese

• Tallinn University, Estonia

  Abel Polese

Colin C Williams, Sheffield University Management School, UK Dr Olga Onoschenko, Sheffield University Management School, UK Huseyn Aliyev, Independent Scholar Ida Harboe Knudsen, Aarhus University, Denmark Aet Annist, Tallinn University, Estonia and University of Tartu, Estonia Anna Danielsson, University of Tübingen, Germany Karla Koutkova, Central European University, Hungary Tanya Chavdarova, Sofia University, Bulgaria Christian Giordano, University of Fribourg, Switzerland Tetiana Stepurko, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine Milena Pavlova, Maastricht University, the Netherlands Irena Gryga National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine Liubove Muraskiene, Vilnius University, Lithuania Wim Groot, Maastricht University, the Netherlands Thom Davies, Independent Scholar Jingqing Yang, University of Technology, Sydney Dr Liam O'Shea, Independent Scholar

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