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The Global Encyclopaedia of Informality, Volume II

Understanding Social and Cultural Complexity

Broadly defined as “ways of getting things done,” the invisible yet powerful concepts of “informal practices” tend to escape articulation in official discourse. These practices include emotion-driven exchanges of gifts or favours and tributes for services, interest-driven know-how (from informal welfare to informal employment), identity-driven practices of solidarity, and power-driven forms of co-optation and control. Yet, the possible paradox of the indiscernibility of these informal practices is their ubiquity. Alena Ledeneva’s wholly unique two-volume work collaborates with over two hundred scholars across five continents, illustrating how informal practices are deeply embedded across the globe yet still remain underestimated in policy-making procedures.      
 

568 pages | 35 illustrations | 6.14 x 9.21 | © 2018

Free digital open access editions are available to download from UCL Press.

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Reviews

"This unique work . . . illustrat[es] how informal practices are deeply embedded across the planet, playing a crucial role in truly 'getting anything done' while still remaining underestimated in policy-making procedures and business life. The book puts international human behavior into perspective, and is wholly mesmerizing."

Philadelphia magazine

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