[WS:] Anarchists are neoliberals without money ;), and for these guys any form of social obligation borders on slavery.
BTW, I remember the culture of interlocking debts being well and alive in the old country when I lived there. People were constantly borrowing from one another, doing each other favors, paying bribes or exchanging tokens of gratitude (typically flowers or chocolate for women, alcohol for men. Even if you paid for services you would expect and get a 'special deal" if you knew the provider and thus "owed him." The ability to accumulate this interlocking debt was very important socially and economically. people who were unable or unwilling to engage in it usually did not get very far and were considered "misfits" or "dumbwits" no matter how intelligent they were. There was even a joke that the most severe form of punishment was not death penalty but the forfeiture of all social connections for life.
What is more, not specifying how much exactly was being owed was an important aspect of the game. I recall my ex going back there to arrange various funeral services when her father passed away, and when she insisted on writing service contracts, people got really pissed at her that she did not trust them. Her point, however, was that she was going back to the US
in a few days and did not need any favors or relations, but she wanted to make sure that everything was done as agreed.
This was very pervasive in Eastern Europe even during the Communist times.
However, it was considered to be backward and pre-modern and if it was written about at all, it was usually in negative terms, as something that needed to be eradicated if the country were to become "truly modern."
There was some economic literature trying to estimate how much loss it produced to the national economy, and the only English language anthropological study that I am familiar with is an edited volume by Janine Wedel "Unplanned society."
My own feelings toward this culture of interlocking debt was a mixed bag.
On the one hand, I detested it because it was often used as an excuse for extortion rackets or bribery for something that was supposed to be a "public service" -e.g. medical care or education. On the other hand, it enormously facilitated informal resolution of conflicting interests or otherwise complicated affairs without recourse to formal procedures, litigation, courts etc. and thus make life much easier for many people.
Generally speaking this culture of interlocking debts served rather well people with good social skills and not so well those without such skills.
Case in point. My ex's mom, whose formal education ended in high school but was very good at playing favors and building interlocking informal debts, managed to be the head of the personnel department, was well respected in her workplace and community, and could get anything she wanted no matter how "impossible." My dad, otoh, who had a college degree, but was a rather self-righteous character, was often skipped for promotions, and even when he eventually advanced to senior management he still had problems obtaining what he wanted.
-- Wojtek
"An anarchist is a neoliberal without money."