Serbia: documented application of the same framework
Academic research base
How do people begin to behave as if unwritten rules were normal?
People begin to act as if the unwritten rules are normal when they see that the formal procedure does not give results again, while the shortcuts are rewarded and not punished. If a job is obtained through a relationship, the problem is solved by a call, and the criticism brings a risk, the individual adapts the behavior to what he expects to really do.
Over time, the institution no longer tries to travel regularly, so the institution gets even fewer requests to respect it. So the unwritten rule becomes self-fulfilling. This does not mean that people love or approve of the system; they often try to protect the family and do the work in the conditions in which their choice is narrowed. The danger is that the authoritarian system turns a reasonable individual adjustment into a pattern that renews it daily.
The unwritten rule becomes normal when it is shown enough that the job is standing still, that the employee is expected to go to the meeting or that it is safer not to criticize the manager. People in Serbia can then respect the practice that they do not approve privately, because they see that others respect it and that the institution does not protect the one who rejects it. Over time, the exception is passed on to the new ones as 'that's how it's done'.
How the finding is separated in the matrix
Research of parallel normative order, as well as studies of political pressures and clientelism, record permanent informal rules that exist in addition to the law.
“The norm is maintained by repetition, expectation of other people’s behavior, and the price of deviation not because everyone has accepted it morally.
Yes domestic sociological and field research directly describes this process.
The informal rule is not always corrupt; many useful practices are also not written down. The problem is when unwritten expectation invalidates equal right, expertise or free political choice.
The fact that people have adapted does not mean that they support the system. It is necessary to distinguish between habit, fear, attempt to survive and sincere approval.
Works supporting this answer, with their evidence type and an explanation of how they relate to the claim.
long-term direct monitoring of political life
Wedeen, L. (1999), Ambiguities of Domination: Politics, Rhetoric, and Symbols in Contemporary Syria, University of Chicago Press.
- Contribution to this answer
- Wedeen on Syria shows how people can participate in loyalty rituals over and over again that neither they nor the authorities really believe to be true. The point of these rituals is to teach everyone what is said publicly and how it behaves so obedience is built into everyday life over time and without real conviction.
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Kuran, T. (1995), Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification, Harvard University Press.
- Contribution to this answer
- The Koran explains why people publicly represent something they privately do not want: when honesty carries a social, economic or political price, adaptation becomes rational. When many do it, everyone sees the very public behavior of others and the existing rule begins to look much more accepted and normal than it really is.
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Gerschewski, J. (2023), The Two Logics of Autocratic Rule, Cambridge University Press.
- Contribution to this answer
- Gerschewski shows that authoritarian authorities do not only keep people from being repressed: some keep them politically mobilized, while others keep them satisfied, passive and away from politics. For this question, it is useful as a broader framework for how a certain way of life under the regime turns into “normal”, but it is not a direct study of unwritten rules among people.
Study of Serbia
Petrović, V. (2026), „Under Pressure: The Politics of Clientelism and Coercion in Serbia“, Democratization.
Petrović, V. (2026), “Under Pressure: The Politics of Clientelism and Coercion in Serbia”, Democratization.
- Contribution to this answer
- Petrovic shows how in Serbia, the benefits and pressure can appear in the same political relationship: work, access to the public sector or other benefits can be associated with political support and fear of loss. When such relationships are repeated, people learn the practical rules of the system without anyone having written them formally.
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Scheuerman, W. E. (2006), „Emergency Powers“, Annual Review of Law and Social Science 2: 257–277.
- Contribution to this answer
- Scheuerman shows a similar process at the institutional rather than interpersonal level: the executive branch has the incentive to declare, extend and use emergencies, so what started as an exception can become the usual mode of government over time. For “unwritten rules” of human behavior, it is therefore an indirect source.
Sources supporting the Serbia example, with the claim they support and their limitations.
Reviewed scientific work - Verified 21.08.2026
Vuković, Danilo, i Bojan Spaić. 2022. “Parallel Normative Reality: The Informal Order of Corruption and Clientelism in Serbia.” Sociologija 64(4): 519–542. https://doi.org/10.2298/SOC2204519V
Vuković, Danilo, and Bojan Spaić. 2022. “Parallel Normative Reality: The Informal Order of Corruption and Clientelism in Serbia.” Sociology 64(4): 519542. https://doi.org/10.2298/SOC2204519V
- What the source records
- The authors find sufficient evidence for a parallel informal order in which formal rules are violated, while the rules of the loyalty network are maintained.
- Claim it supports
- Claiming that an unwritten rule is normalized by repetition, expectation of reciprocity, and the apparent price of rejection, even when people do not approve of it privately.
- Source limitation
- The finding describes corruption and clientelism; it does not in itself determine the type of regime or show that any illegality is centrally driven.
Reviewed scientific work - Verified 21.08.2026
Cvejić, Slobodan. 2016. “On Inevitability of Political Clientelism in Contemporary Serbia.” Sociologija 58(2): 239–252. https://doi.org/10.2298/SOC1602239C
Cvejić, Slobodan. 2016. “On Inevitability of Political Clientelism in Contemporary Serbia.” Sociology 58(2): 23952. https://doi.org/10.2298/SOC1602239C
- What the source records
- The paper describes clientelist networks that connect party tops, economy, public sector and voters in a weak institutional environment.
- Claim it supports
- Claiming that an unwritten rule is normalized by repetition, expectation of reciprocity, and the apparent price of rejection, even when people do not approve of it privately.
- Source limitation
- It is based on qualitative interviews and theoretical synthesis; it does not measure the frequency of every practice in the entire population.
Domestic NGOs qualitative field research - Verified 21.08.2026
CRTA. 2023. Mreža političkih pritisaka u centrima za socijalni rad. Beograd: CRTA.
CRTA. 2023. Network of political pressures in centers for social work. Belgrade: CRTA.
- What the source records
- Testimonials describe centers as points in a hierarchical network in which business, contract and assistance can be linked to political loyalty and electoral mobilization.
- Claim it supports
- Claiming that an unwritten rule is normalized by repetition, expectation of reciprocity, and the apparent price of rejection, even when people do not approve of it privately.
- Source limitation
- The sample is qualitative and anonymous; the findings reveal mechanisms and patterns, but do not measure their frequency in all centers.
Domestic NGOs qualitative election research - Verified 21.08.2026
CRTA. 2022. Preliminarni izveštaj o izbornom nasilju i korupciji. Beograd: CRTA.
CRTA. 2022. Preliminary report on electoral violence and corruption. Belgrade: CRTA.
- What the source records
- The report describes repeated patterns of reward and punishment towards fixed-term employees, party members, poor and other dependent groups.
- Claim it supports
- Claiming that an unwritten rule is normalized by repetition, expectation of reciprocity, and the apparent price of rejection, even when people do not approve of it privately.
- Source limitation
- The deliberate and “snowball” pattern is not representative and the statements are not the same as the legally established facts in any case.
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