Blat (term)

Blat (term)

Blat (Russian: блат, blat) is a term which appeared in the Soviet Union to denote the use of informal agreements, exchanges of services, connections, Party contacts, or black market deals to achieve results or get ahead. The system of blat led to formation of social networks similar to Good ol' boy networks in the United States, Old boy networks in the United Kingdom and the former British Empire, or Guanxi in China. Accordingly, blatnoy means a man who obtains a job or gets into a university using connections, or sometimes bribes. In the Soviet republics, blatnoys were very much in demand as it was difficult to gain a post or enroll in some prestigious majors in universities without proper connections.

Read more about Blat (term):  Origin, Russian Prison, Usage