Russian Pendulum: Paradoxes, Practices and Patterns

Join us to celebrate the launch of Russian Pendulum by Prof. Alena Ledeneva

In Russian Pendulum, Alena Ledeneva takes readers on a compelling journey to Russia, where tradition, modernity, power, and people collide. Through the lens of ambivalence, the author unveils patterns that have shaped Russia’s politics and society for centuries, pointing to an intricate system of informal networks that are held together by practices of co-optation, control, and camouflage.

For readers seeking to look beyond stereotypes, this book provides a brief yet nuanced exploration of Russia’s complexity and unpredictability. The ever-moving Russian pendulum dwells on paradoxes and the hidden practices that resolve them. Patterns such as doublethink, double standards, zigzags, cascades, waves. and tides are captured in the author’s own artworks that introduce each chapter.

With nine musical compositions for two marimbas, the album The System Made Me Do It by Benjamin Woodgates add a further dimension, exploring these patterns in sound. Drawing on the Global Informality Project (www.in-formality.com), the artwork, and the music, Russian Pendulum offers insights essential to understand hidden yet increasingly powerful forces

Speakers:

Alena Ledeneva is Professor of Politics and Society at UCL and a founder of the Global Informality Project. She is the author of an influential trilogy: Russia's Economy of Favours (1998), How Russia Really Works (2006) and Can Russia Modernise? (2013); she edited The Global Encyclopaedia of Informality, Vols. 1–3 (2018, 2024).

Benjamin Woodgates is a multi-award-winning British composer working across film, theatre, installation, concert music and interactive media. Credits include Dream Horse, Terence Davies’ Benediction, and commissions from St Paul’s Cathedral Choir and WDR Radio Orchestra. His latest album, The System Made Me Do It, is part of the Russian Pendulum project and is released by Delphian Recordings in 2026.

Sean Hanley is a Professor of East European Politics at UCL (SSEES). His research focuses on post-communist politics, party systems, democratic backsliding, and corruption, with a strong emphasis on Central Europe and the Czech Republic. He writes widely on Czech politics and populism and contributes regularly to public commentary.