Ledeneva, Alena; (2022) Informal politics. In: Gill, Graeme, (ed.) Routledge Handbook of Russian Politics and Society. (pp. 410-423). Routledge: Abingdon, UK.

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Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of concepts essential for capturing the elusive workings of informal politics. It outlines four trends in critical thinking that have shaped informal politics as a field: overcoming the rationalist perspective; transcending the transition paradigm; relativising the normative perspective; and balancing off state-centric concepts of governance. The normative perspective on informality, especially when associated with poverty, underdevelopment, and the informal sector, has colonial roots. In the thirty years since the end of communism in Europe, scholars from different disciplines have joined forces to develop more balanced perspectives and reflect upon the pathways of post-communist transitions and subsequent “democratic backsliding”. Awareness of the context, or context sensitivity, is best achieved by comparative analysis that helps assess the formal/informal balance. The more leaders try to change sistema, the more they have to rely on the informal means of execution of power outside formal procedures.

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