The criminalization of informal practices in the danube delta: How and why

Abstract

This chapter explores the informal practices of residents of the Romanian Danube Delta, particularly those connected to the most important local activity, fishing. We show that locals come under the scrutiny of a labyrinth of regulations, designed such that nobody can abide by all of them simultaneously. We argue that this regulatory complexity is the way through which the state controls marginal territories. Dissent is minimized by the possibility of always having one foot in illegality. This adds a new dimension to the scholarship on informality in Romania, bringing the Danube Delta into the debate on the proper relationship between legality, criminality, and informality.