Abel Polese publishes book on post-Soviet state limits

The book titled „Limits of a Post-Soviet State“ by senior researcher Abel Polese discusses the Soviet and post-Soviet politics and society.

The book, with a foreword by Colin Williams, asks how informality replaces, renegotiates, and reshapes governance in contemporary Ukraine.

„Though informed by case studies conducted in Ukraine, this book transcends its country-specific scope. It explains why informality in governance is not necessarily transitory or temporary but a constant in most political systems,“ told Abel Polese, a senior researcher at the TU School of Governance, Law and Society.

The book discusses self-protective mechanisms, responses to incomplete or unfocused policy making, and strategies employed by individuals, classes, and communities to respond to unusual demands. The book argues that when state or company expectations exceed normative behavior, informal behavior continues to thrive.

New tactics help cope with the reality of governance. Informality also challenges the values imposed by power through attitudes and behaviors that take place "beyond" or "in spite of" the state.

Abel Polese is a senior researcher at Dublin City University and Tallinn University. Colin Williams is professor of public policy at the University of Sheffield.