Academic Keynote Speech: The Silence of the Systems: Informal Networks, Hidden Practices and Invisible Domination – Evidence from the Global Informality Project (In partnership With OSCE Mission to Serbia)
Abstract:
This talk will take you on a journey of discovery, delving into the open secrets, unwritten rules and hidden practices in the workings of political systems. The paradox, or not, of the invisibility of the practices of informal governance – practices of cooptation, control and camouflage – is their ubiquity. Expertly practiced by insiders but often hidden from outsiders, informal practices are, as the Global Informality Project shows, deeply rooted all over the world, yet underestimated in policy. Based on the evidence from the five continents and over 75 countries, made possible by a remarkable collaboration of over 250 scholars (in-formality.com), the insights into the workings on informality within power institutions and beyond are essential for tackling issues of security and state capture.