Informality in Society: Searching for Explorative Methodology

Affiliation: Autonomous non-profit organization to promote the development of civil society institutions “Fair World Institute”
Address: Moscow, Russia

Sergey L. Dimans

Affiliation: Moscow State Academy of Physical Education
Address: Moscow, Russia

Journal name

Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya

Edition

Issue 11

Pages

105-114

Abstract

The main purpose of the article is to discuss and propose a solution to the methodological problems arising in the study of fundamental social relations embedded in social institutions and informal practices. The authors present a concept based on the thesis of informal interactions as a relatively ontologically independent phenomenon in society. It is shown that informal practices act as a public and civilizational resource that determines not only the viability of society, but also its competitiveness in the global world. It is the totality of mass informal social communications outside the existing institutional framework that makes it possible to understand what a particular society is. The article analyzes some real situations of contradictory interaction of institutions and informal practices in Russian society. When analyzing the sources of informal practices, the authors distinguish inversive, adaptive and constructive informality as systematically ordered communications that arise outside the institutional space. Such conceptualization expands the possibilities of understanding specific cases in the socio-economic and socio-political life of Russian society and provides grounds for their instrumental empirical research. study.

Keywords

methodology, social institution, informality, informal practices, social communications, norms, communities

Received

10.01.2024

Publication date

11.01.2024

Number of characters

32032

Cite

GOST	Levicheva V., Dimans S. Informality in Society: Searching for Explorative Methodology // Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya – 2023. – Issue 11 C. 105-114 [Electronic resource]. URL: http://ras.jes.su/socis/s013216250028536-2-1-en (circulation date: 19.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013216250028536-2
MLA	Levicheva, Valentina, Dimans, Sergey L "Informality in Society: Searching for Explorative Methodology." Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya 11 (2023):105-114. DOI: 10.31857/S013216250028536-2
APA	Levicheva V., Dimans S. (2023). Informality in Society: Searching for Explorative Methodology. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya (11), pp.105-114 DOI: 10.31857/S013216250028536-2

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