The article examines the role of informal social institutions in the life of rural communities. Traditional social institutions (family, marriage, neighborhood, religion) continue to play an important role in shaping the social and economic behavior of the villagers. The rural communities of the Russian-Belarusian borderland serve as an example for considering the role of informal social institutions. In this region, the socio-economic transformations that began after the collapse of the USSR continue. Transformation is experienced by informal social institutions. The author conducts a theoretical analysis of the changes taking place, and also uses data from various sociological studies.