How Russia really works : the informal practices that shaped post-Soviet politics and business / Alena V. Ledeneva.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [241]-261) and index.

1. Why are informal practices still prevalent in Russia? -- 2. Chernyi Piar : manipulative campaigning and the workings of Russian democracy -- 3. Kompromat : the use of compromising information in informal politics -- 4. Krugovaia Poruka : sustaining the ties of joint responsibility -- 5. Tenevoi Barter : shadow barter, barter chains, and nonmonetary markets -- 6. Dvoinaia Bukhgalteriia : double accountacy and financial scheming -- 7. Post-Soviet Tolkachi : alternative enforcement and the use of law -- App. 1. Pravda versus Istina -- App. 2. Profile of the leading national media outlets in the 1990s -- App. 3. "Bound by one chain" by Nautilus Pompilus -- App. 4. List of legal documents related to barter transactions in the Russian Federation, 1990-1997.