Informal Economy as Rational Habit and State Criticism. An interview study on path dependence in and perceptions of Ukrainian and Belarusian petty corruption
This paper examines the continuity, change and adaptation of blat – as a Soviet time, informal, economic transaction network, that existed as a response to a non-functional economy. The analysis is based on 33 in-depth interviews conducted in 2009 during a pilot field study in Ukraine and Belarus. The main focus is on individuals’ descriptions, justifications and explanations of their ongoing info
