Conclusion Ledeneva, Alena V.
Can Russia Modernise?,
02/2013
Book Chapter
Memories of sistemaThere is an insightful commentary on sistema in Joseph Brodsky's memoirs.
If one had brains, one would certainly try to outsmart the system by devising all kinds of detours, ...arranging shady deals with one's superiors, piling up lies and pulling the strings of one's semi-nepotistic connections. This would become a full-time job. Yet one was constantly aware that the web one had woven was a web of lies, and in spite of the degree of success or your sense of humour, you'd despise yourself. That is the ultimate triumph of the system: whether you beat it or join it, you feel equally guilty. The national belief is – as the proverb has it – that there is no Evil without a grain of Good in it and presumably vice versa. Ambivalence, I think, is the chief characteristic of my nation.(Brodsky 1986)In one of my interviews, a respondent recalled his first experience of the Soviet sistema:
It actually happened rather early. I was about 12 and went to a sports camp, as one did back then. My friends were fishing near the camp and wanted to cook fish soup on the fire, so I went to the kitchen to ask for a saucepan and a couple of potatoes. I knew a girl in the kitchen and she gave me a saucepan and told me to pick up some potatoes from the cellar. As I was coming out of the cellar with four potatoes in the saucepan, I bumped into the Director of the camp. He decided I was a potato thief at once. Everyone was scared of him and I guess the kitchen girl denied her involvement. I was grounded to ‘think about my behaviour’ but remained fairly confident that I had done nothing wrong. By the evening of that day a man passed by, flipped his ID and introduced himself as a security officer. He threatened to lock me away as a young offender if I didn't confess to the wrongdoing (popugal). I cried through the night and into the next day. Others were instructed not to talk to me, until one morning an elderly trainer came over and spoke to me like a good cop. He said he understood I didn't mean it and I didn't do it, he said the man who threatened me was only some friend of the director; and he said it would be easier for everyone if I simply apologised – then everything would be back to normal.
Conclusion Ledeneva, Alena V.
Can Russia Modernise?,
02/2013
Book Chapter
Memories of sistemaThere is an insightful commentary on sistema in Joseph Brodsky's memoirs. If one had brains, one would certainly try to outsmart the system by devising all kinds of detours, ...arranging shady deals with one's superiors, piling up lies and pulling the strings of one's semi-nepotistic connections. This would become a full-time job. Yet one was constantly aware that the web one had woven was a web of lies, and in spite of the degree of success or your sense of humour, you'd despise yourself. That is the ultimate triumph of the system: whether you beat it or join it, you feel equally guilty. The national belief is – as the proverb has it – that there is no Evil without a grain of Good in it and presumably vice versa. Ambivalence, I think, is the chief characteristic of my nation.(Brodsky 1986)In one of my interviews, a respondent recalled his first experience of the Soviet sistema: It actually happened rather early. I was about 12 and went to a sports camp, as one did back then. My friends were fishing near the camp and wanted to cook fish soup on the fire, so I went to the kitchen to ask for a saucepan and a couple of potatoes. I knew a girl in the kitchen and she gave me a saucepan and told me to pick up some potatoes from the cellar. As I was coming out of the cellar with four potatoes in the saucepan, I bumped into the Director of the camp. He decided I was a potato thief at once. Everyone was scared of him and I guess the kitchen girl denied her involvement. I was grounded to ‘think about my behaviour’ but remained fairly confident that I had done nothing wrong. By the evening of that day a man passed by, flipped his ID and introduced himself as a security officer. He threatened to lock me away as a young offender if I didn't confess to the wrongdoing (popugal). I cried through the night and into the next day. Others were instructed not to talk to me, until one morning an elderly trainer came over and spoke to me like a good cop. He said he understood I didn't mean it and I didn't do it, he said the man who threatened me was only some friend of the director; and he said it would be easier for everyone if I simply apologised – then everything would be back to normal.
Survey questions Ledeneva, Alena V.
Can Russia Modernise?,
02/2013
Book Chapter
The Levada Centre Omnibus Survey: 21–27 December 2007Sampling was based on a multi-stage stratification scheme. Firstly, from seven federal regions (North-Western, Central, Southern, Povolzhskii, ...Uralskii, Siberian and Far Eastern), 128 primary sampling units (PSU) were selected: 88 urban settlements and 40 rural districts in 46 subjects of the Russian Federation. Secondly, secondary sampling units (SSU) were randomly selected within each PSU. Thirdly, households from each SSU were randomly selected. And finally, with the help of the 2002 National Census data, one respondent was selected within each household, taking into account sex, age and education. Of the 4,398 households visited, the interviewers had contacts with 2,912 people and completed 1,603 interviews. After the regional offices supervisors had conducted quality controls on the work of the interviewers, 2 interviews were rejected. Therefore 1,601 interviews entered the sample. Further details of sampling can be found at www.levada.ru.Survey on blatIn the past seven years, did you or someone you know encounter any of the following informal practices?Gave money/bribe to solve problemsReceived money/bribe for helping with a problemGave gifts to solve problemsReceived gifts from an interested partyUsed your blat connectionsAsked a public servant you know or a friend of a friend for helpUsed your official position or influence to solve your own problems or at somebody else’s requestAsked for a public servant’s help through personal channels...
