Bribery and blat in Russia : negotiating reciprocity from the Middle Ages to the 1990s
Author: Stephen Lovell
Publisher:
Published: 2000
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13: 9780312231279
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Russia's Economy of Favours
Author: Alena V. Ledeneva
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1998-08-06
Total Pages: 154
ISBN-13: 9780521627436
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe 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.
How Russia Really Works
Author: Alena V. Ledeneva
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Published: 2014-01-15
Total Pages: 292
ISBN-13: 0801470056
DOWNLOAD EBOOKDuring the Soviet era, blat—the use of personal networks for obtaining goods and services in short supply and for circumventing formal procedures—was necessary to compensate for the inefficiencies of socialism. The collapse of the Soviet Union produced a new generation of informal practices. In How Russia Really Works, Alena V. Ledeneva explores practices in politics, business, media, and the legal sphere in Russia in the 1990s—from the hiring of firms to create negative publicity about one's competitors, to inventing novel schemes of tax evasion and engaging in "alternative" techniques of contract and law enforcement. Ledeneva discovers ingenuity, wit, and vigor in these activities and argues that they simultaneously support and subvert formal institutions. They enable corporations, the media, politicians, and businessmen to operate in the post-Soviet labyrinth of legal and practical constraints but consistently undermine the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. The "know-how" Ledeneva describes in this book continues to operate today and is crucial to understanding contemporary Russia.
The Art of the Bribe
Author: James Heinzen
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2016-11-29
Total Pages: 417
ISBN-13: 0300224761
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe first archive-based study of official corruption under Stalin and a compelling new look at the textures of everyday Soviet life after World War II In the Soviet Union, bribery was a skill with its own practices and culture. James Heinzen’s innovative and compelling study examines corruption under Stalin’s dictatorship in the wake of World War II, focusing on bribery as an enduring and important presence in many areas of Soviet life. Based on extensive research in recently declassified Soviet archives, The Art of the Bribe offers revealing insights into the Soviet state, its system of law and repression, and everyday life during the years of postwar Stalinism.
Can Russia Modernise?
Author: Alena V. Ledeneva
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2013-02-14
Total Pages: 331
ISBN-13: 0521110823
DOWNLOAD EBOOKA political ethnography of the inner workings of Putin's sistema, contributing to our understanding Russia's prospects for future modernisation.
Corruption: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Leslie Holmes
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Published: 2015-04-23
Total Pages: 169
ISBN-13: 0191003905
DOWNLOAD EBOOKCorruption is one of the biggest global issues, ahead of extreme poverty, unemployment, the rising cost of food and energy, climate change, and terrorism. It is thought to be one of the principal causes of poverty around the globe. Its significance in the contemporary world cannot be undervalued. In this Very Short Introduction Leslie Holmes considers why the international community has only highlighted corruption as a problem in the past two decades, despite its presence throughout the millennia. Holmes explores the phenomenon from several different perspectives, from the cultural differences affecting how corruption is defined, its impact, and its various causes to the possible remedies. Providing evidence of corruption and considering ways to address it around the world, this is an important introduction to a significant and serious global issue. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Everyday Stalinism
Author: Sheila Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1999-03-04
Total Pages: 312
ISBN-13: 0195050002
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFocusing on urban areas in the 1930s, this college professor illuminates the ways that Soviet city-dwellers coped with this world, examining such diverse activities as shopping, landing a job, and other acts.
Shifting Obsessions
Author: Ivan Krastev
Publisher: Central European University Press
Published: 2004-01-01
Total Pages: 140
ISBN-13: 9789639241947
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAnnotation Rather than being a study of anti-corruption policies, this work looks at the politics of anti-corruption and their institutional motivations. Krastev argues that anti-corruption sentiments are not driven by the actual level of corruption but by general disappointment with liberal reforms that cause rising social inequality. In this collection of essays, the author makes the provocative argument that the current corruption-focused policies are doomed.
Bribery and Blat in Russia
Author: Stephen Lovell
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2000
Total Pages: 295
ISBN-13: 9780312231279
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFor several centuries, the Russians have been famous for the number of transactions they conduct through unofficial channels. This book, the first sustained attempt to explain and analyze Russian society's reliance on unofficial "give-and-take," focuses especially on two key practices: bribery (the use of public office for private gain) and blat (the informal exchange of favors). It brings together specialists from a wide range of disciplines. For several centuries, the Russians have been famous for the number of transactions they conduct through unofficial channels. This book, the first sustained attempt to explain and analyze Russian society's reliance on unofficial "give-and-take," focuses especially on two key practices: bribery (the use of public office for private gain) and blat (the informal exchange of favors). It brings together specialists from a wide range of disciplines.
The Cult of Ivan the Terrible in Stalin's Russia
Author: M. Perrie
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2001-10-25
Total Pages: 264
ISBN-13: 1403919690
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIvan IV, the sixteenth-century Russian tsar notorious for his reign of terror, became an unlikely national hero in the Soviet Union during the 1940s. This book traces the development of Ivan's positive image, placing it in the context of Stalin's campaign for patriotism. In addition to historians' images of Ivan, the author examines literary and artistic representations, including Sergei Eisenstein's famous film, banned for its depiction of the tsar which was interpreted as an allegorical criticism of Stalin.
