Social Impact of Informal Economies in Eastern Europe

Rainer Neef, Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany Manuela Stanculescu, Institutul de Cercetare a Calitatii Vietii, Bucharest, Romania

'The post-communist transition in Eastern Europe is generating a variable and changing range of new forms of informal and underground economy. This book is one of the first attempts to explore the phenomenon and a very useful tool for understanding the present transition in eastern European societies. It is based on extensive empirical evidence and on a balanced range of disciplinary views from sociology to ethnography and economics, with particular attention to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Russia.' Professor Enzo Mingione, University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy

• Contents: Foreword, Raymond Pahl; Observations on the concept and forms of the informal economy in Eastern Europe, Rainer Neef; Patterns of participation in the informal economy in East-Central Europe, 1991-1998, Claire Wallace and Christian Haerpfer. Bulgaria: Bulgaria, Nikolay Nenovsky and Darina Koleva; The informal economy in Bulgaria: historical background and present situation, Tanya Chavdarova; Practices and strategies of managing everyday life in a village in socialist Bulgaria, Klaus Roth; Informal farm work in North Western Bulgaria and Eastern Serbia, Milena Benovska-Sabkova. Romania: Romania, Constantin Ciupagea; Romanian households between state, market and informal economies, Manuela Stanculescu; Informal activities in rural areas - family situations in informal farming and day labouring, Esther Golibrzuch; Formal and informal incomes of the Romanian households, Simona Ilie; Economic functions of informal activities in Romania, Constantin Ciupagea. Hungary: Hungary, Endre Sik and János István Tóth; Hidden economy in Hungary, 1992-1999, János István Tóth and Endre Sik; Informal labour market-place on the Moscow square, Endre Sik. Russia: Russia, Alexander Nikulin; Informal economy of rural households: restructuring of family networks and strategies, Olga Fadeeva, Alexander Nikulin and Valerij Vinogradsky. Methods of Research: Of methods and findings on the informal economy, Philippe Adair and Rainer Neef; Appendix: country tables of socio-economic data; Name index.