Russia's Economy of Favours: Blat, Networking and Informal ExchangesThis book examines the little known phenomenon of blat the use of informal contacts and personal networks to obtain goods and services under the rationing that pervaded Soviet Russia. Alena Ledeneva analyzes the historical, socioeconomic and cultural aspects of blat, and explores its implications for post Soviet Russia. The political and economic reforms introduced since the collapse of the Soviet Union have radically affected everyday practices, but