Preface -- Introduction -- Using Networks to find out about Networks -- The Evolution of Russia's IT Sector -- The Soviet Legacy and its Transformation in the Russian IT Field -- Social Milieus and Personal Network Growth in the St. Petersburg IT Industry -- The Types of Economic Resources Transmitted Through the Networks of St.Petersburg IT Professionals -- Social Mechanisms Governing the Informal Transactions between Russian IT Managers -- The Spirit of Russian IT Capitalism -- Conclusions -- A PDF version of this book is available for free in open access via the OAPEN Library platform, www.oapen.org.

If Russia has become a market economy, how does it function on a grassroots level? In addition to market mechanisms, what kinds of social and moral principles are at work in the new Russian economy? Is the 'Soviet legacy' still present in post-Soviet business practices? This book searches for answers to these questions, by investigating the networking practices of the Russian software industry. It examines what kinds of resources are transmitted through the personal networks of Russian IT directors and managers, and which mechanisms govern this transmission. The volume opens a rarely available grassroots-level view into the business practices of the new Russian knowledge-based economy. This book is essential reading for all interested in Russian society, culture and economy.