Blat (Caucasus) - Revision history

Editor2018 at 08:39, 11 May 2020

2020-05-11T08:39:32Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:39, 11 May 2020
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	\| authorofpiece = Huseyn Aliyev		\| authorofpiece = Huseyn Aliyev
	\| authorinstitution = School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK		\| authorinstitution = School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK
	\| authorwebsite = [http://glasgow.academia.edu/HuseynAliyev Profile page ~~at UG~~]		\| authorwebsite = [http://glasgow.academia.edu/HuseynAliyev Profile page on Academia]
	}}		}}
	<big>'''By Huseyn Aliyev, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK'''</big>		<big>'''By Huseyn Aliyev, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK'''</big>

Editor2018 at 13:01, 30 April 2020

2020-04-30T13:01:28Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:01, 30 April 2020
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	\| location = Caucasus		\| location = Caucasus
	\| imagemap = Caucasus map.png		\| imagemap = Caucasus map.png
	\| clusters = [[:Category: Amoral ~~familialism~~\|Amoral ~~familialism~~]]		\| clusters = [[:Category: Amoral familism\|Amoral familism]]
	\| categories = [[:Category: FSU\|FSU]] – [[:Category: Caucasus\| Caucasus]] – [[:Category: Personal connections\| Personal connections]] – [[:Category: Favour\| Favour]] – [[:Category: Gift\| Gift]]		\| categories = [[:Category: FSU\|FSU]] – [[:Category: Caucasus\| Caucasus]] – [[:Category: Personal connections\| Personal connections]] – [[:Category: Favour\| Favour]] – [[:Category: Gift\| Gift]]
	\| authorofpiece = Huseyn Aliyev		\| authorofpiece = Huseyn Aliyev
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	}}		}}
	<big>'''By Huseyn Aliyev, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK'''</big>		<big>'''By Huseyn Aliyev, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK'''</big>
	[[Category: Amoral ~~familialism~~]]		[[Category: Amoral familism]]
	[[Category: FSU]]		[[Category: FSU]]
	[[Category: Caucasus]]		[[Category: Caucasus]]

Admin at 13:17, 20 May 2019

2019-05-20T13:17:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:17, 20 May 2019
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	\|}		\|}
	In Soviet Armenia, the term ''blat'' was used primarily by Russian-speaking residents of the capital city Yerevan. In post-communist times, ‘using ''blat''’ can refer to a plethora of informal practices ranging from gift-giving to preferential treatment in formal institutions<ref>Babajanian, Babken V. 2008. ‘Social capital and community participation in post-Soviet Armenia: Implications for policy and practice’, Europe-Asia Studies, 60(8): 1299-1319.</ref>. More commonly, however, the term ''blat'' is employed under various circumstances to describe the use of personal connections. Similarly, ''blat'' in Azerbaijan occurs mainly in urban contexts and is mentioned mostly by residents of the capital city Baku<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2015a. ‘Informal Networks as Sources of Human (In)Security in the South Caucasus’, Global Change, Peace & Security, 27(2): 1-16.</ref>. Both ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking Azeri residents of Baku use the term ''blat'' to denote favour-based informal relationships<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2013. ‘Post-Communist Informal Networking: Blat in the South Caucasus’, Demokratizatsiya: Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, 21(1): 98-111.</ref>. Whereas residents of other major urban centres (Ganja, Sheki, etc.) are vaguely familiar with the term, ''blat'' is unknown to individuals originating from rural settlements. In contrast to Azeri ''[[taps]]'', which functions primarily in urban areas and is used to access formal institutions and widely employed in the search for jobs, ''blat'' exists not as a practice but as an umbrella concept with a connotation of personal influence and strength of one’s networks. To have '''blat''' means to have a well-developed system of personal networks, which can assist individuals in day-to-day life. Each of these contacts in a ''blat'' network may be used to obtain more specific ''[[taps]]''-favours. In other words, unlike more abstract networking-centred use of the term ''blat'', ''[[taps]]'' refers to the actual process of favour-provision. Research conducted by the author in several of Baku’s suburbs in 2013-14, revealed that references to blat are waning with the steady decline in numbers of Russian-speakers.		In Soviet Armenia, the term ''blat'' was used primarily by Russian-speaking residents of the capital city Yerevan. In post-communist times, ‘using ''blat''’ can refer to a plethora of informal practices ranging from gift-giving to preferential treatment in formal institutions<ref>Babajanian, Babken V. 2008. ‘Social capital and community participation in post-Soviet Armenia: Implications for policy and practice’, Europe-Asia Studies, 60(8): 1299-1319.</ref>. More commonly, however, the term ''blat'' is employed under various circumstances to describe the use of personal connections. Similarly, ''blat'' in Azerbaijan occurs mainly in urban contexts and is mentioned mostly by residents of the capital city Baku<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2015a. ‘Informal Networks as Sources of Human (In)Security in the South Caucasus’, Global Change, Peace & Security, 27(2): 1-16.</ref>. Both ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking Azeri residents of Baku use the term ''blat'' to denote favour-based informal relationships<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2013. ‘Post-Communist Informal Networking: Blat in the South Caucasus’, Demokratizatsiya: Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, 21(1): 98-111.</ref>. Whereas residents of other major urban centres (Ganja, Sheki, etc.) are vaguely familiar with the term, ''blat'' is unknown to individuals originating from rural settlements. In contrast to Azeri ''[[taps]]'', which functions primarily in urban areas and is used to access formal institutions and widely employed in the search for jobs, ''blat'' exists not as a practice but as an umbrella concept with a connotation of personal influence and strength of one’s networks. To have ''blat'' means to have a well-developed system of personal networks, which can assist individuals in day-to-day life. Each of these contacts in a ''blat'' network may be used to obtain more specific ''[[taps]]''-favours. In other words, unlike more abstract networking-centred use of the term ''blat'', ''[[taps]]'' refers to the actual process of favour-provision. Research conducted by the author in several of Baku’s suburbs in 2013-14, revealed that references to blat are waning with the steady decline in numbers of Russian-speakers.

	Among three South Caucasian republics, Georgia has historically been less exposed to the influence of blat-culture. For example, fieldwork conducted by Altman<ref>Altman, Yochanan. 1983. A reconstruction, using anthropological methods, of the second economy of Soviet Georgia. Enfield: Middlesex Polytechnic.</ref> among Georgian-Jewish émigré communities in the 1970s showed that none of his informants were familiar with the term ''blat'' or ''blatmeister''. More recent fieldwork carried out by the author in Georgia in 2013 revealed that although term ''blat'' is well-known among Tbilisi’s and Batumi’s intelligentsia and elites, the majority of common Georgians have either never heard of the term or are unsure about its meaning<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2014. ‘The Effects of the Saakashvili Era Reforms on Informal Practices in the Republic of Georgia’, Studies of Transition States and Societies, 6(1): 21-35.</ref>. For instance, when asked about the meaning of ''blat'', many informants from among the general public, regardless of age and gender differences, admitted to never having used the word. In the author’s observation, the use of and familiarity with ''blat'' in Georgia is conditioned by an individual’s acquaintance with the Russian culture and the way of life. Those few Georgians who admitted to using the term ''blat'' primarily understood the practice as that of Georgian male-peers networks (''[[satzmosadokalo]]'') or somewhat similar to friendship (''[[megobroba]]'') networks.		Among three South Caucasian republics, Georgia has historically been less exposed to the influence of blat-culture. For example, fieldwork conducted by Altman<ref>Altman, Yochanan. 1983. A reconstruction, using anthropological methods, of the second economy of Soviet Georgia. Enfield: Middlesex Polytechnic.</ref> among Georgian-Jewish émigré communities in the 1970s showed that none of his informants were familiar with the term ''blat'' or ''blatmeister''. More recent fieldwork carried out by the author in Georgia in 2013 revealed that although term ''blat'' is well-known among Tbilisi’s and Batumi’s intelligentsia and elites, the majority of common Georgians have either never heard of the term or are unsure about its meaning<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2014. ‘The Effects of the Saakashvili Era Reforms on Informal Practices in the Republic of Georgia’, Studies of Transition States and Societies, 6(1): 21-35.</ref>. For instance, when asked about the meaning of ''blat'', many informants from among the general public, regardless of age and gender differences, admitted to never having used the word. In the author’s observation, the use of and familiarity with ''blat'' in Georgia is conditioned by an individual’s acquaintance with the Russian culture and the way of life. Those few Georgians who admitted to using the term ''blat'' primarily understood the practice as that of Georgian male-peers networks (''[[satzmosadokalo]]'') or somewhat similar to friendship (''[[megobroba]]'') networks.

Editor2018: Undo revision 4129 by Editor2018 (talk)

2019-05-16T16:06:31Z

Undo revision 4129 by Editor2018 (talk)

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:06, 16 May 2019
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	{{infobox		{{infobox
	\| nameofpractice =Blat		\| nameofpractice = Blat
	\| flagemoji =		\| flagemoji =
	\| definition =~~Fee-dodging, match-fixing, illicit activity~~		\| definition = Informal practices ranging from gift giving to preferential treatment; use of personal network
	\| location =~~Romania~~		\| location = Caucasus
	\| imagemap =~~Romania~~ map.png		\| imagemap = Caucasus map.png
	\| clusters =		\| clusters = [[:Category: Amoral familialism\|Amoral familialism]]
	[[:Category:~~Market~~\|Market]] – [[:Category: Functional ambivalence\| Functional ambivalence]] – [[:Category: Gaming the system\| Gaming the system]] – [[:Category: Camouflage\| Camouflage]] – [[:Category: Free-riding\| Free-riding]]		\| categories = [[:Category: FSU\|FSU]] – [[:Category: Caucasus\| Caucasus]] – [[:Category: Personal connections\| Personal connections]] – [[:Category: Favour\| Favour]] – [[:Category: Gift\| Gift]]
	\| categories =		\| authorofpiece = Huseyn Aliyev
	~~[[:Category:Romania\|Romania]] –~~ [[:Category: ~~CEE~~\| ~~CEE~~]] – [[:Category: ~~Europe~~\| ~~Europe~~]] – [[:Category: EU\| EU]] – [[:Category: ~~Fee avoidance~~\| ~~Fee avoidance~~]] – [[:Category: ~~Match-fixing~~\| ~~Match-fixing~~]]		\| authorinstitution = School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK
	\| authorofpiece =~~Marius Wamsiedel~~		\| authorwebsite = [http://glasgow.academia.edu/HuseynAliyev Profile page at UG]
	\| authorinstitution =~~Department~~ of ~~Health~~ and ~~Environmental~~ Sciences, ~~Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool~~ University, ~~China~~		}}
	\| authorwebsite =[~~https~~://~~www~~.~~researchgate~~.~~net~~/~~profile/Marius_Wamsiedel~~ Profile page at ~~Researchgate~~]}}		<big>'''By Huseyn Aliyev, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK'''</big>
	<big>'''By ~~Marius Wamsiedel~~, ~~Department~~ of ~~Health~~ and ~~Environmental~~ Sciences, ~~Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool~~ University, ~~China~~'''</big>		[[Category: Amoral familialism]]
	[[Category:~~Market~~]]		[[Category: FSU]]
	[[Category: ~~Functional ambivalence~~]]		[[Category: Caucasus]]
	[[Category: ~~Gaming the system~~]]		[[Category: Personal connections]]
	[[Category: ~~Camouflage~~]]		[[Category: Favour]]
	[[Category: ~~Free-riding~~]]		[[Category: Gift]]
	[[Category:~~Romania]]~~		[[Category: Entry]]
	~~[[Category: CEE]]~~		{\| class="wikitable"
	~~[[Category: Europe]]~~
	~~[[Category: EU]]~~
	~~[[Category: Fee avoidance]]~~
	~~[[Category: Match-fixing~~]]
	[[Category:Entry]]
	~~[[Category: Volume 2~~]]
	{\| class="wikitable"
	\|-		\|-
	\|style="font-size:1.1em;"\| It is hard to estimate when the Soviet/Russian practice of ''[[blat]]'' – use of personal networks for getting thing done <ref>Ledeneva, Alena. 1998. Russia's economy of favours: Blat, networking and informal exchange. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. </ref> – became established in the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. According to the author’s informants, ''blat'' practices spread in the region in the post-war period (mid 1940s onwards). The term ''blat'' migrated from Soviet Russia, and became established in the urban dialects of Armenians, Azeris and Georgians as a ‘trendy’ way of referring to previously-existing informal behaviour. For example, in Azerbaijan, ''blat'' is synonymous with local practices, such as ''[[taps]]'' and ''[[hormet]]''. In Georgia, ''blat'' is sometimes used alongside the local term ''[[krtami]]''. Notwithstanding the etymological complexity, it is nevertheless possible to delineate and differentiate ''blat'' from other informal behaviours in the South Caucasus.		\|style="font-size:1.1em;"\| It is hard to estimate when the Soviet/Russian practice of ''[[blat]]'' – use of personal networks for getting thing done <ref>Ledeneva, Alena. 1998. Russia's economy of favours: Blat, networking and informal exchange. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. </ref> – became established in the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. According to the author’s informants, ''blat'' practices spread in the region in the post-war period (mid 1940s onwards). The term ''blat'' migrated from Soviet Russia, and became established in the urban dialects of Armenians, Azeris and Georgians as a ‘trendy’ way of referring to previously-existing informal behaviour. For example, in Azerbaijan, ''blat'' is synonymous with local practices, such as ''[[taps]]'' and ''[[hormet]]''. In Georgia, ''blat'' is sometimes used alongside the local term ''[[krtami]]''. Notwithstanding the etymological complexity, it is nevertheless possible to delineate and differentiate ''blat'' from other informal behaviours in the South Caucasus.

	\|}		\|}
	In Soviet Armenia, the term ''blat'' was used primarily by Russian-speaking residents of the capital city Yerevan. In post-communist times, ‘using ''blat''’ can refer to a plethora of informal practices ranging from gift-giving to preferential treatment in formal institutions<ref>Babajanian, Babken V. 2008. ‘Social capital and community participation in post-Soviet Armenia: Implications for policy and practice’, Europe-Asia Studies, 60(8): 1299-1319.</ref>. More commonly, however, the term ''blat'' is employed under various circumstances to describe the use of personal connections. Similarly, ''blat'' in Azerbaijan occurs mainly in urban contexts and is mentioned mostly by residents of the capital city Baku<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2015a. ‘Informal Networks as Sources of Human (In)Security in the South Caucasus’, Global Change, Peace & Security, 27(2): 1-16.</ref>. Both ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking Azeri residents of Baku use the term ''blat'' to denote favour-based informal relationships<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2013. ‘Post-Communist Informal Networking: Blat in the South Caucasus’, Demokratizatsiya: Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, 21(1): 98-111.</ref>. Whereas residents of other major urban centres (Ganja, Sheki, etc.) are vaguely familiar with the term, ''blat'' is unknown to individuals originating from rural settlements. In contrast to Azeri ''[[taps]]'', which functions primarily in urban areas and is used to access formal institutions and widely employed in the search for jobs, ''blat'' exists not as a practice but as an umbrella concept with a connotation of personal influence and strength of one’s networks. To have '''blat''' means to have a well-developed system of personal networks, which can assist individuals in day-to-day life. Each of these contacts in a ''blat'' network may be used to obtain more specific ''[[taps]]''-favours. In other words, unlike more abstract networking-centred use of the term ''blat'', ''[[taps]]'' refers to the actual process of favour-provision. Research conducted by the author in several of Baku’s suburbs in 2013-14, revealed that references to blat are waning with the steady decline in numbers of Russian-speakers.		In Soviet Armenia, the term ''blat'' was used primarily by Russian-speaking residents of the capital city Yerevan. In post-communist times, ‘using ''blat''’ can refer to a plethora of informal practices ranging from gift-giving to preferential treatment in formal institutions<ref>Babajanian, Babken V. 2008. ‘Social capital and community participation in post-Soviet Armenia: Implications for policy and practice’, Europe-Asia Studies, 60(8): 1299-1319.</ref>. More commonly, however, the term ''blat'' is employed under various circumstances to describe the use of personal connections. Similarly, ''blat'' in Azerbaijan occurs mainly in urban contexts and is mentioned mostly by residents of the capital city Baku<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2015a. ‘Informal Networks as Sources of Human (In)Security in the South Caucasus’, Global Change, Peace & Security, 27(2): 1-16.</ref>. Both ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking Azeri residents of Baku use the term ''blat'' to denote favour-based informal relationships<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2013. ‘Post-Communist Informal Networking: Blat in the South Caucasus’, Demokratizatsiya: Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, 21(1): 98-111.</ref>. Whereas residents of other major urban centres (Ganja, Sheki, etc.) are vaguely familiar with the term, ''blat'' is unknown to individuals originating from rural settlements. In contrast to Azeri ''[[taps]]'', which functions primarily in urban areas and is used to access formal institutions and widely employed in the search for jobs, ''blat'' exists not as a practice but as an umbrella concept with a connotation of personal influence and strength of one’s networks. To have '''blat''' means to have a well-developed system of personal networks, which can assist individuals in day-to-day life. Each of these contacts in a ''blat'' network may be used to obtain more specific ''[[taps]]''-favours. In other words, unlike more abstract networking-centred use of the term ''blat'', ''[[taps]]'' refers to the actual process of favour-provision. Research conducted by the author in several of Baku’s suburbs in 2013-14, revealed that references to blat are waning with the steady decline in numbers of Russian-speakers.

Editor2018 at 10:47, 16 May 2019

2019-05-16T10:47:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:47, 16 May 2019
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	{{infobox		{{infobox
	\| nameofpractice = Blat ~~(Caucasus)~~		\| nameofpractice =Blat
	\| location = ~~Caucasus~~		\| flagemoji =
	\| imagemap = ~~Caucasus~~ map.png		\| definition =Fee-dodging, match-fixing, illicit activity
	\| ~~authorofpiece~~ = ~~Huseyn Aliyev~~		\| location =Romania
	\| ~~authorinstitution~~ = ~~Research Centre for East European Studies (Forschungsstelle Osteuropa)~~		\| imagemap =Romania map.png
	}}		\| clusters =
			[[:Category:Market\|Market]] – [[:Category: Functional ambivalence\| Functional ambivalence]] – [[:Category: Gaming the system\| Gaming the system]] – [[:Category: Camouflage\| Camouflage]] – [[:Category: Free-riding\| Free-riding]]
	'~~''''Original text by <span class~~=~~"plainlinks">~~[~~http~~://~~glasgow~~.~~academia~~.~~edu~~/~~HuseynAliyev Huseyn Aliyev~~] <~~/span~~>'''''		\| categories =
			[[:Category:Romania\|Romania]] – [[:Category: CEE\| CEE]] – [[:Category: Europe\| Europe]] – [[:Category: EU\| EU]] – [[:Category: Fee avoidance\| Fee avoidance]] – [[:Category: Match-fixing\| Match-fixing]]
	~~<div~~ class="~~toccolours mw~~-~~collapsible mw~~-~~collapsed~~">		\| authorofpiece =Marius Wamsiedel
	It is hard to estimate when the Soviet/Russian practice of ''blat'' – use of personal networks for getting thing done <ref>Ledeneva, Alena. 1998. Russia's economy of favours: Blat, networking and informal exchange. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. </ref> – became established in the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. According to the author’s informants, ''blat'' practices spread in the region in the post-war period (mid 1940s onwards). The term ''blat'' migrated from Soviet Russia, and became established in the urban dialects of Armenians, Azeris and Georgians as a ‘trendy’ way of referring to previously-existing informal behaviour. For example, in Azerbaijan, ''blat'' is synonymous with local practices, such as ''[[taps]]'' and ''[[hormet]]''. In Georgia, ''blat'' is sometimes used alongside the local term ''[[krtami]]''. Notwithstanding the etymological complexity, it is nevertheless possible to delineate and differentiate ''blat'' from other informal behaviours in the South Caucasus.		\| authorinstitution =Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
			\| authorwebsite =[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marius_Wamsiedel Profile page at Researchgate]}}
	~~<div class="mw-collapsible-content">~~		<big>'''By Marius Wamsiedel, Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China'''</big>
			[[Category:Market]]
			[[Category: Functional ambivalence]]
			[[Category: Gaming the system]]
			[[Category: Camouflage]]
			[[Category: Free-riding]]
			[[Category:Romania]]
			[[Category: CEE]]
			[[Category: Europe]]
			[[Category: EU]]
			[[Category: Fee avoidance]]
			[[Category: Match-fixing]]
			[[Category:Entry]]
			[[Category: Volume 2]]
			{\| class="wikitable"
			\|-
			\|style="font-size:1.1em;"\| It is hard to estimate when the Soviet/Russian practice of ''[[blat]]'' – use of personal networks for getting thing done <ref>Ledeneva, Alena. 1998. Russia's economy of favours: Blat, networking and informal exchange. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. </ref> – became established in the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. According to the author’s informants, ''blat'' practices spread in the region in the post-war period (mid 1940s onwards). The term ''blat'' migrated from Soviet Russia, and became established in the urban dialects of Armenians, Azeris and Georgians as a ‘trendy’ way of referring to previously-existing informal behaviour. For example, in Azerbaijan, ''blat'' is synonymous with local practices, such as ''[[taps]]'' and ''[[hormet]]''. In Georgia, ''blat'' is sometimes used alongside the local term ''[[krtami]]''. Notwithstanding the etymological complexity, it is nevertheless possible to delineate and differentiate ''blat'' from other informal behaviours in the South Caucasus.
			\|}
	In Soviet Armenia, the term ''blat'' was used primarily by Russian-speaking residents of the capital city Yerevan. In post-communist times, ‘using ''blat''’ can refer to a plethora of informal practices ranging from gift-giving to preferential treatment in formal institutions<ref>Babajanian, Babken V. 2008. ‘Social capital and community participation in post-Soviet Armenia: Implications for policy and practice’, Europe-Asia Studies, 60(8): 1299-1319.</ref>. More commonly, however, the term ''blat'' is employed under various circumstances to describe the use of personal connections. Similarly, ''blat'' in Azerbaijan occurs mainly in urban contexts and is mentioned mostly by residents of the capital city Baku<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2015a. ‘Informal Networks as Sources of Human (In)Security in the South Caucasus’, Global Change, Peace & Security, 27(2): 1-16.</ref>. Both ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking Azeri residents of Baku use the term ''blat'' to denote favour-based informal relationships<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2013. ‘Post-Communist Informal Networking: Blat in the South Caucasus’, Demokratizatsiya: Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, 21(1): 98-111.</ref>. Whereas residents of other major urban centres (Ganja, Sheki, etc.) are vaguely familiar with the term, ''blat'' is unknown to individuals originating from rural settlements. In contrast to Azeri ''[[taps]]'', which functions primarily in urban areas and is used to access formal institutions and widely employed in the search for jobs, ''blat'' exists not as a practice but as an umbrella concept with a connotation of personal influence and strength of one’s networks. To have '''blat''' means to have a well-developed system of personal networks, which can assist individuals in day-to-day life. Each of these contacts in a ''blat'' network may be used to obtain more specific ''[[taps]]''-favours. In other words, unlike more abstract networking-centred use of the term ''blat'', ''[[taps]]'' refers to the actual process of favour-provision. Research conducted by the author in several of Baku’s suburbs in 2013-14, revealed that references to blat are waning with the steady decline in numbers of Russian-speakers.		In Soviet Armenia, the term ''blat'' was used primarily by Russian-speaking residents of the capital city Yerevan. In post-communist times, ‘using ''blat''’ can refer to a plethora of informal practices ranging from gift-giving to preferential treatment in formal institutions<ref>Babajanian, Babken V. 2008. ‘Social capital and community participation in post-Soviet Armenia: Implications for policy and practice’, Europe-Asia Studies, 60(8): 1299-1319.</ref>. More commonly, however, the term ''blat'' is employed under various circumstances to describe the use of personal connections. Similarly, ''blat'' in Azerbaijan occurs mainly in urban contexts and is mentioned mostly by residents of the capital city Baku<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2015a. ‘Informal Networks as Sources of Human (In)Security in the South Caucasus’, Global Change, Peace & Security, 27(2): 1-16.</ref>. Both ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking Azeri residents of Baku use the term ''blat'' to denote favour-based informal relationships<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2013. ‘Post-Communist Informal Networking: Blat in the South Caucasus’, Demokratizatsiya: Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, 21(1): 98-111.</ref>. Whereas residents of other major urban centres (Ganja, Sheki, etc.) are vaguely familiar with the term, ''blat'' is unknown to individuals originating from rural settlements. In contrast to Azeri ''[[taps]]'', which functions primarily in urban areas and is used to access formal institutions and widely employed in the search for jobs, ''blat'' exists not as a practice but as an umbrella concept with a connotation of personal influence and strength of one’s networks. To have '''blat''' means to have a well-developed system of personal networks, which can assist individuals in day-to-day life. Each of these contacts in a ''blat'' network may be used to obtain more specific ''[[taps]]''-favours. In other words, unlike more abstract networking-centred use of the term ''blat'', ''[[taps]]'' refers to the actual process of favour-provision. Research conducted by the author in several of Baku’s suburbs in 2013-14, revealed that references to blat are waning with the steady decline in numbers of Russian-speakers.

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	[[File:Baku Akhmedli district.jpg\|300px\|thumb\|left\|Photograph of Baku Akhmedi district, taken by Huseyn Alivev.]]		[[File:Baku Akhmedli district.jpg\|300px\|thumb\|left\|Photograph of Baku Akhmedi district, taken by Huseyn Alivev.]]

	Secondly, ''blat'' in the South Caucasus is more similar to ''blat''-practices in Central Asia<ref>Schatz, Edward. 2004. Modern Clan Politics and Beyond: The Power of ‘Blood’ in Kazakhstan. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. </ref> than to ''blat'' in Russia<ref>Ledeneva, Alena. 1998. Russia's economy of favours: Blat, networking and informal exchange. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref> and Ukraine<ref>Onoshchenko, O. and Williams C. 2013. ‘Paying for favours: evaluating the role of blat in post-Soviet Ukraine’, Debatte: Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe 21(2-3): 259-277</ref>, inasmuch as it is less grounded in reciprocation or exchange of favours. Analogous to Asian informal practices and driven by norms indigenous to the South Caucasus, ''blat''-favours are used not only among equals, but to an even greater extent among people of different social standing. For example, receiving a favour ‘''po blatu''’ in Baku often means acquiring preferential access to particular services or public goods from an influential person, or a person who has a lot of blat-connections<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2015b. Post-Communist Civil Society and the Soviet Legacy. The Challenges of Democratisation and Reform in the Caucasus. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.</ref>. Such a service is often, although not always, offered without an expectation of a reciprocal favour. Informants in Georgia associate blat with status and consider it a symbol of one’s position in society. Similar to providing hospitality, offering blat favours is honourable and widely respected.		Secondly, ''blat'' in the South Caucasus is more similar to ''blat''-practices in Central Asia<ref>Schatz, Edward. 2004. Modern Clan Politics and Beyond: The Power of ‘Blood’ in Kazakhstan. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. </ref> than to ''blat'' in Russia<ref>Ledeneva, Alena. 1998. Russia's economy of favours: Blat, networking and informal exchange. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref> and Ukraine<ref>Onoshchenko, O. and Williams C. 2013. ‘Paying for favours: evaluating the role of blat in post-Soviet Ukraine’, Debatte: Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe 21(2-3): 259-277</ref>, inasmuch as it is less grounded in reciprocation or exchange of favours. Analogous to Asian informal practices and driven by norms indigenous to the South Caucasus, ''blat''-favours are used not only among equals, but to an even greater extent among people of different social standing. For example, receiving a favour ‘''po blatu''’ in Baku often means acquiring preferential access to particular services or public goods from an influential person, or a person who has a lot of blat-connections<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2015b. Post-Communist Civil Society and the Soviet Legacy. The Challenges of Democratisation and Reform in the Caucasus. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.</ref>. Such a service is often, although not always, offered without an expectation of a reciprocal favour. Informants in Georgia associate blat with status and consider it a symbol of one’s position in society. Similar to providing hospitality, offering blat favours is honourable and widely respected.

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	Overall, it may be concluded that ''blat'' is closely associated with the Soviet past; with shortages and other defects of the Soviet system. Yet, the growing gap in the South Caucasus between the older Soviet and the younger post-socialist generations, in conjunction with national self-awareness, has led to a steady extinction of the term ''blat'' from local languages and popular use. Informal practices previously known as ''blat'' have gradually become absorbed into indigenous practices.		Overall, it may be concluded that ''blat'' is closely associated with the Soviet past; with shortages and other defects of the Soviet system. Yet, the growing gap in the South Caucasus between the older Soviet and the younger post-socialist generations, in conjunction with national self-awareness, has led to a steady extinction of the term ''blat'' from local languages and popular use. Informal practices previously known as ''blat'' have gradually become absorbed into indigenous practices.
	~~</div>~~
	~~</div>~~

	~~==Notes==~~
	~~<references />~~

	~~[[Category:Informal Practices]]~~		==References==
	~~[[Category:South Caucasus]]~~
	~~[[Category:Georgia]]~~
	~~[[Category:Armenia]]~~
	~~[[Category:Azerbaijan]]~~
	~~[[Category:FSU]]~~
	~~[[Category:Substantive]]~~
	~~[[Category:Economies of favours]]~~
	~~[[Category:Gift]]~~
	~~[[Category:Favour]]~~
	~~[[Category:Entry]]~~

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	[[Category:Favour]]		[[Category:Favour]]
			[[Category:Entry]]

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	'''''Original ~~Text~~: Huseyn Aliyev~~, Research Centre for East European Studies (Forschungsstelle Osteuropa)~~'''''		'''''Original text by <span class="plainlinks">[http://glasgow.academia.edu/HuseynAliyev Huseyn Aliyev] </span>'''''

	<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">		<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">

Admin at 15:36, 11 January 2017

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	Irrespectively of divergences in the use and understanding of ''blat'' across the South Caucasus, informal practices enshrined under the concept blat share a number of similarities. Firstly, during the communist period in all three South Caucasian societies under consideration, ''blat'', despite the umbrella-like feature of the term, was also understood as a specific means of acquiring commodities in short-supply. As in Soviet Russia, in the Soviet South Caucasus ''blat'' was used to acquire luxury items or deficit goods. In contrast, ''[[megobroba]]'' networks in Georgia, ''[[hormet]]''-practices in Azerbaijan or ''[[tsanot]]'' networks in Armenia were used to access more valuable public goods, such as jobs and opportunities. During the post-communist period this role of blat in acquiring deficit goods has largely disappeared from blat-relations in the South Caucasus<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2013. ‘Post-Communist Informal Networking: Blat in the South Caucasus’, Demokratizatsiya: Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, 21(1): 98-111.</ref>, as indeed it has in Russia<ref>Ledeneva, Alena. 1998. Russia's economy of favours: Blat, networking and informal exchange. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref>.		Irrespectively of divergences in the use and understanding of ''blat'' across the South Caucasus, informal practices enshrined under the concept blat share a number of similarities. Firstly, during the communist period in all three South Caucasian societies under consideration, ''blat'', despite the umbrella-like feature of the term, was also understood as a specific means of acquiring commodities in short-supply. As in Soviet Russia, in the Soviet South Caucasus ''blat'' was used to acquire luxury items or deficit goods. In contrast, ''[[megobroba]]'' networks in Georgia, ''[[hormet]]''-practices in Azerbaijan or ''[[tsanot]]'' networks in Armenia were used to access more valuable public goods, such as jobs and opportunities. During the post-communist period this role of blat in acquiring deficit goods has largely disappeared from blat-relations in the South Caucasus<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2013. ‘Post-Communist Informal Networking: Blat in the South Caucasus’, Demokratizatsiya: Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, 21(1): 98-111.</ref>, as indeed it has in Russia<ref>Ledeneva, Alena. 1998. Russia's economy of favours: Blat, networking and informal exchange. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref>.

			[[File:Baku Akhmedli district.jpg\|300px\|thumb\|left\|Photograph of Baku Akhmedi district, taken by Huseyn Alivev.]]

	Secondly, ''blat'' in the South Caucasus is more similar to ''blat''-practices in Central Asia<ref>Schatz, Edward. 2004. Modern Clan Politics and Beyond: The Power of ‘Blood’ in Kazakhstan. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. </ref> than to ''blat'' in Russia<ref>Ledeneva, Alena. 1998. Russia's economy of favours: Blat, networking and informal exchange. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref> and Ukraine<ref>Onoshchenko, O. and Williams C. 2013. ‘Paying for favours: evaluating the role of blat in post-Soviet Ukraine’, Debatte: Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe 21(2-3): 259-277</ref>, inasmuch as it is less grounded in reciprocation or exchange of favours. Analogous to Asian informal practices and driven by norms indigenous to the South Caucasus, ''blat''-favours are used not only among equals, but to an even greater extent among people of different social standing. For example, receiving a favour ‘''po blatu''’ in Baku often means acquiring preferential access to particular services or public goods from an influential person, or a person who has a lot of blat-connections<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2015b. Post-Communist Civil Society and the Soviet Legacy. The Challenges of Democratisation and Reform in the Caucasus. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.</ref>. Such a service is often, although not always, offered without an expectation of a reciprocal favour. Informants in Georgia associate blat with status and consider it a symbol of one’s position in society. Similar to providing hospitality, offering blat favours is honourable and widely respected.		Secondly, ''blat'' in the South Caucasus is more similar to ''blat''-practices in Central Asia<ref>Schatz, Edward. 2004. Modern Clan Politics and Beyond: The Power of ‘Blood’ in Kazakhstan. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. </ref> than to ''blat'' in Russia<ref>Ledeneva, Alena. 1998. Russia's economy of favours: Blat, networking and informal exchange. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref> and Ukraine<ref>Onoshchenko, O. and Williams C. 2013. ‘Paying for favours: evaluating the role of blat in post-Soviet Ukraine’, Debatte: Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe 21(2-3): 259-277</ref>, inasmuch as it is less grounded in reciprocation or exchange of favours. Analogous to Asian informal practices and driven by norms indigenous to the South Caucasus, ''blat''-favours are used not only among equals, but to an even greater extent among people of different social standing. For example, receiving a favour ‘''po blatu''’ in Baku often means acquiring preferential access to particular services or public goods from an influential person, or a person who has a lot of blat-connections<ref>Aliyev, Huseyn. 2015b. Post-Communist Civil Society and the Soviet Legacy. The Challenges of Democratisation and Reform in the Caucasus. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.</ref>. Such a service is often, although not always, offered without an expectation of a reciprocal favour. Informants in Georgia associate blat with status and consider it a symbol of one’s position in society. Similar to providing hospitality, offering blat favours is honourable and widely respected.

Admin at 17:54, 13 August 2016

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	<references />		<references />

			[[Category:Informal Practices]]
	[[Category:South Caucasus]]		[[Category:South Caucasus]]
	[[Category:Georgia]]		[[Category:Georgia]]

Admin at 20:40, 12 August 2016

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	\| nameofpractice = Blat (Caucasus)		\| nameofpractice = Blat (Caucasus)
	\| location = Caucasus		\| location = Caucasus
	\| imagemap =		\| imagemap = Caucasus map.png
	\| authorofpiece = Huseyn Aliyev		\| authorofpiece = Huseyn Aliyev
	\| authorinstitution = Research Centre for East European Studies (Forschungsstelle Osteuropa)		\| authorinstitution = Research Centre for East European Studies (Forschungsstelle Osteuropa)