(In)formal distribution channels in Romania during the 1980s: Entrepreneurial foreign students within the Second Economy

Abstract

This article explores the role of entrepreneurial foreign students in the entangled informal networks of the second economy in Romania during the 1980s by questioning an underexplored part of the distribution chain, namely the provision of commodities missing or in short supply which further fueled the black market. Using a network analysis that traced improbable connections, we identified an unexpected channel in the form of international trade fairs, seen here as potential occasions where informal links are most likely to be first realized. The case study figured the second economy as a transnational place where various actors competed in the generation of hard currency.