The Alternative Economy: Informal Exchanges and Criminal Activities from the perspective of the Communist regime’s institutional framework

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dc.coverageSTUDIA UBB HISTORIA, Volume 65 (LXV), No. 2, December 2020, pp. 101-121, DOI: 10.24193/subbhist.2020.2.06en-US
dc.creatorONACIU, Vlad
dc.date2020-12-30
dc.date.accessioned2026-02-21T19:38:27Z
dc.descriptionThe Alternative Economy: Informal Exchanges and Criminal Activities from the perspective of the Communist regime’s institutional framework. Shortages plagued Romanian communism from the very beginning to its inevitable downfall in 1989. People developed strategies to overcome it, based on informal exchange, creating an alternative economic system. Many of these activities involved stealing from the workplace, embezzling, abuse of position, and smuggling. It also involves a certain level of trust between individuals, allowing them to co-operate despite the risks. The authorities tried through surveillance and sting operations to reduce the extent of these activities, which were hindering the official economy. They went as far as infiltrating queues to gather information on the state of mind of the population. Rezumat: Economia alternativă: schimburi informale şi activităţi criminale din perspectiva cadrului instituţional al regimului comunist. Penuria a fost una dintre caracteristicile de bază ale comunismului românesc pe tot parcursul său, de la instaurarea regimului şi până la inevitabila sa prăbuşire în 1989. Oamenii au dezvoltat strategii pentru a o depăşi, bazate pe schimburi informale, dând naştere unui sistem economic alternativ. Multe activităţi implicau furtul de la locul de muncă, delapidări, abuzul poziţiei sau chiar traficul. De asemenea, era necesar şi un anumit nivel de încredere între indivizi, care să le permită să colaboreze în ciuda riscurilor. Autorităţile au încercat să restrângă fenomenul prin acţiuni de supraveghere şi flagrante, deoarece afecta economia oficială. Au recurs inclusiv la infiltrarea cozilor de la magazine pentru a culege informaţii despre starea de spirit a populaţiei. În acest articol propunem conceptul umbrelă al ‘economiei alternative’ care să cuprindă şi să descrie aceste fenomene. Cuvinte cheie: penurie, ‘blat’, economie alternativă, Miliţia, economie secundară, schimb informal.en-US
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://studia.reviste.ubbcluj.ro/index.php/subbhistoria/article/view/616
dc.identifier10.24193/subbhist.2020.2.06
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14637/1375
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherBabeș-Bolyai University / ARGONAUT PUBLISHING Cluj-Napoca, Romaniaen-US
dc.relationhttps://studia.reviste.ubbcluj.ro/index.php/subbhistoria/article/view/616/586
dc.rightsCopyright (c) 2020 Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Historiaen-US
dc.rightshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0en-US
dc.sourceStudia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Historia; Volume 65, No. 2, December 2020; 101-121en-US
dc.source2065-9598
dc.source1220-0492
dc.source10.24193/subbhist.2020.2
dc.subjectshortage, ‘blat’, alternative economy, Miliţia, second economy, informal exchange.en-US
dc.titleThe Alternative Economy: Informal Exchanges and Criminal Activities from the perspective of the Communist regime’s institutional frameworken-US
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.typePeer-reviewed Articleen-US
dc.typetexten-US

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