Alena Ledeneva

Alena Ledeneva is a Professor of Politics and Society at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES) at University College London (UCL). She holds a PhD in Social and Political Theory from Cambridge University (1996) and has been at UCL since 1999. Her research focuses on informal governance systems, corruption, and networks in post-Soviet societies, particularly in Russia and Southeast Europe. She leads major EU-funded projects like ANTICORRP.eu and MARKETS, and founded the UCL FRINGE Centre and Global Informality Project.

Education:

• PhD in Social and Political Theory, University of Cambridge (1996)
• MPhil, University of Cambridge (1992)
• BA, Novosibirsk State University (1986)

Research interests include informal institutions, blat networks, systemic corruption (sistema), and cross-cultural informality. She has authored landmark books such as How Russia Really Works and Can Russia Modernize?, and edited the Global Encyclopedia of Informality series. Her work bridges political science, sociology, and organizational behavior.

Key contributions include analyzing the 'dark and bright sides' of informal networks, modeling costs of informal practices in the Western Balkans, and critiquing global corruption paradigms. She advises on anti-corruption strategies and runs interdisciplinary research hubs.

Labs/Teams:

• FRINGE Centre for Social and Cultural Complexity
• Global Informality Project (in-formality.com)

Her art explores sociopolitical themes, displayed at alenaledeneva.com/art.