Informality in Eastern Europe

This volume explores informal structures and practices in Eastern Europe and whether these are different from informality which can be observed in Western Europe. The authors discuss the scientific relevance of the distinction informal/formal across different disciplines.

This volume deals with different aspects of informal structures and practices in Eastern Europe. Its objectives are twofold. It aims at discovering whether or to what extent informal structures and practices in Eastern Europe have meanings, functions, forms and effects different from those that can be observed in the politics and societies of Western Europe. The authors of this volume most of them are from the region have been invited to discuss the scientific relevance of the distinction informal / formal in their respective field of research or discipline. This points to the second objective of this volume which is to encourage a more fruitful interaction between disciplines that often disregard each other and which, despite inevitable and essential epistemological differences, have significant shared interests such as the comparative analysis of political phenomena in terms of elementary forms of social organization. The relation between informality and formality in a more methodologically pluralist and ultimately holistic way can be analysed via regards croisés between the disciplines anthropology, political science and sociology. This allows the extension of this comparative and multidisciplinary approach to other themes and phenomena of mutual interests.

Autorentext

Christian Giordano has doctorates in sociology (University of Heidelberg) and anthropology (University of Frankfurt/M.) and an honoris causa doctorate from the University of Timisoara. He is Full Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) and a guest professor at the universities of Bucharest, Murcia and the University of Malaya, Asia-Europe Institute.
Nicolas Hayoz is an associate professor of political science and the Director of the Interfaculty Institute of Central and Eastern Europe at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). He has published articles on politics and state reform in Eastern Europe. He has conducted research projects in Russia and in Georgia. His research interests include transition studies in Eastern Europe, particularly the transformation process in Russia, political sociology and political theory.

Inhalt
Contents: Christian Giordano/Nicolas Hayoz: Introduction: Exploring Informality in Eastern Europe through Different Disciplines Christian Giordano: The Social Organization of Informality: The Rationale Underlying Personalized Relationships and Coalitions Nicolas Hayoz: Observations on the Changing Meanings of Informality Anton Sterbling: Aspects of «Informality» - with Particular Focus on South-Eastern Europe Kristof Van Assche/Anastasiya Shtaltovna/Anna-Katharina Hornidge: Visible and Invisible Informalities and Institutional Transformation in the Transition Countries of Georgia, Romania, and Uzbekistan Maximos Aligisakis: Shadow Economy, Corruption and Informal Political Exchanges: The Greek Case in a Comparative Perspective Nicole Gallina: Analysing Informality: A Case-Study Based Concept applied to the Czech Republic Veronika Pasynkova: The Synchronization of Communist Legacy in Postcommunist Politics and Labour: the Case of Poland Tanya Chavdarova: Institutionalization of Market Order and Reinstitutionalization of Vruzki (Connections) in Bulgaria Katerina Gehl/Klaus Roth: The Everyday Culture of Informality in Post-Socialist Bulgarian Politics Sonja Schüler: Abuse of Office, Informal Networks, «Moral Accountability» Political Corruption in Bulgaria Edvin Zhllima/Drini Imami Informality: Informality in Albania - The Case of Rural Land Tenure and Transactions Adem Beha: Contested Statebuilding in Kosovo: the Nature and Characteristics of Serbian Parallel Structures Fanny Sbaraglia: «They are with the Others»: From Gossip to Stigmatization, Romanian Civil Society through an Informal Perspective François Ruegg: Social Representations of Informality: the Roma Case Jonathan Wheatley: Informal and Formal Institutions in the Former Soviet Union Galina Michaleva: The Dominance of Informal Politics on the Eve of the Electoral Year 2011-2012 Elvira Leontyeva: Corruption Networks in the Sphere of Higher Education: An Example from Russian Mass Universities Elena Denisova-Schmidt: How Unwritten Rules Can Influence Human Resource Management in Russia Andrea Friedli: Informality as a «Weapon of the Weak»? Public Representation of Tatar Youth Movements in Kazan, Russia Abel Polese: The Ambiguity and Functions of Informality: Some Notes from the Odessa-Chisinau Route Rail Safiyev: Informality in a Neopatrimonial State: Azerbaijan Alexander Iskandaryan: Formalization of the Informal: Statebuilding in Armenia Giga Zedania Informality and the Question of Modernization: the Case of Georgia.