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Book Reviews : Alena V. Ledeneva: Russia's Economy of Favours. Blat, Networking and Informal Exchange. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998

Then writing her book on ’blat’ and V V networking in Russia, Alena Ledeneva was not aware of the latest fall in the rouble and the consequent political and economic turmoil, which in fact have only increased the topicality of her study. Due to the current crisis, as well as to the decline in enthusiasm for the market economy, there is now even more reason to believe Ledeneva’s concluding remark that ’post-Soviet society is never going to resemble Western societies.’ Similarly, there are good grounds for believing that the ongoing crisis and economic difficulties might revitalize the informal exchange practices described in detail by the author. As many other Soviet terms, ’blat’ is difficult to translate. Even though the closest English expressions, such as ’pulling strings’ or ’using connections’ refer to similar social mechanisms of arranging things informally through social relations, they neither capture the extent nor the pervasiveness of these practices during the Soviet era. Alena Ledeneva’s book is based on 56 theme interviews carried out by herself in Russian urban centres during 1994-95. The author defines blat ’as an exchange of favours or access to public resources in conditions of