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In Russian culture, ''blat'' ((ロシア語:блат)) is the system of informal agreements, exchanges of services, connections, Party contacts, or black market deals to achieve results or get ahead.〔 〕 The system of ''blat'' can be seen as an example of social networks with some similarities to networking (especially '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, ''blatnye'' were very much in demand as it was difficult to gain a post or enroll in some prestigious majors in universities without proper connections. ==Usage== The word was primarily used to describe networks, when people made each a favour in exchange for another favour. According to Max Vasmer, the origin of the word ''blat'' is the Yiddish ''blatt'', meaning a "blank note" or a "list".〔 〕 However, according to both Vasmer and N. M. Shansky, ''blat'' may also have entered into Russian as the Polish loanword ''blat'', a noun signifying "someone who provides an umbrella" or a "cover".〔 The word became part of Imperial Russian criminal slang in the early 20th century, where it signified relatively minor criminal activity such as petty theft.〔 ''Blatnoy'' originally meant "one possessing the correct paperwork", which, in the corrupt officialdom of Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union indicated that the ''blatnoy'' was well connected. In addition, the word ''blatnoy'' came to indicate career criminals because they had a ''blatnoy'' or special status in the Russian criminal underworld. The word is used to indicate association with the criminal underworld (e.g. "blatnoy language"/Fenya, "blatnoy behavior", "blatnoy outlook"). The adverbial usage of the word is ''po blatu'' (), meaning "by or via ''blat''".〔 A notable operation of ''blat'' system was the institution of ''tolkachs''. Because in the Soviet Union, the ''Gosplan'' wasn't able to calculate efficient or even feasible plans, enterprises often had to rely on people with connections, who could then use blat to help fulfill the quotas. Eventually most enterprises came to have a dedicated supply specialist – a ''tolkach'' (literally ''pusher'') – to perform this task.〔 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Blat (favors)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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