Conclusion

Abstract

Informality is a regular and persistent presence in a wide range of life spheres and among various actors in the post-socialist world. This is true in both the public and private sectors, and in many situations presented in this book that straddle the notions of public and private (hospitals, for example). In this sense, the studies here contribute to the burgeoning literature on informality conducted in post-socialist and other regions (Bruns and Miggelbrink, 2012; Giordano and Hayoz, 2013; Isaacs, 2011; Morris and Polese, 2014, 2014a, 2014b; Polese et al., 2015; Rodgers et al., 2012; Stenning et al., 2010). Informality may certainly be seen, as it has been in the past, as a way for the poor and the marginalized to cope with transition, inequality and social injustice. However, informality is also a way for a growing middle class to gain access to services and, think¬ing beyond this functionalist perspective, a way to access resources and benefits that it is not possible to get formally at any given moment. As we have shown elsewhere, monetary and social relations are embed¬ded, or, better, entangled, in a mutual dependency relationship (Morris, 2014; Morris and Polese, 2014b; Polese, 2014). Engaging in informal transactions is not always, or necessarily, motivated by a rationale of saving or gaining money. There are a number of other ‘currencies’ that have received little recognition so far, such as respectability, satisfaction, acceptance and shame.