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Outside the official economy is a second, or countereconomy, which functions informally and in the best capitalist tradition.

Much of the merchandise in the countereconomy is stolen from factories and restaurants by employees and sold at high markups.

The fixer thrives in the countereconomy, acting as an entrepreneur who, for a price, knows where to get just about anything from new fenders for a Moskvich sedan to rare Western goods.

Officials frown on the countereconomy but are at a loss to do anything about it.