Globalisation and Crime

What is globalisation?

Globalisation refers to the increasing interconnectedness of societies and that barries are disappearing between societies.

What are the three causes of globalisation and examples?

1. Political: The increase in transnational corporations, such as the EU, NATO and the UN.

2. Economic: the deregulation of financial and other markets. 

3. Cultural: the influence of global mass media.

What does global crime mean and what are the types?

This means any crime that occurs across nation state borders or involves using resources from one country to another.

Types of global crime include trafficking, organised crime, state crimes and human rights violations.

What does Farr say about global organised crime groups? 

Established mafias (pre-existed globalisation of crime and have adapted to globalisation) (e.g they operate in more countries, they are using the internet to sell drugs). Based around ethnic and family ties. E.g. Italian mafia, Japanese Yakusa. 

Newer organised crime groups emerged since the globalisation of criminal networks and collapse of communism in Russia.

How has globalisation led to opportunities for new types of crime and new ways of carrying out crime? 

Globalisation has created new opportunities for crime, new means of committing crime and new offences, such as various cyber crimes. Castells argues there is now a global criminal economy. Arms trafficking : to illegal regimes, guerrilla groups and terroists. Sex tourism: westerners travel to poorer countries for sex (prostitution).

How has globalisation affected the supply and demand chain of crime? 

Cyber crimes are crimes such as identity theft and child pornography. The global criminal economy could not function without a supply side that provides the source of the drugs, sex workers and other goods and services demanded in the west.

What do Marxists (Taylor) say about globalisation and crime?

Globalisation has caused an increase in income inequality. 

Taylor- disorganised capitalism: 

• It has become harder for governments to control (organise) businesses in their countries, to create jobs or raise taxes on business. This is because global businesses have the power to move elsewhere.

The working conditions in some of these countries would be illegal in the UK (Rana Plaza collapse in April 2013 in Bangladesh that housed many companies (Walmart, Mango and Primark) collapsed due to structural failures 1,134 people died and 2,500 were injured). 

What are the types of crime related to the Taylor’s theory (Marxism)?

Utilitarian crimes such as theft, crimes against employees- health and safety violations (Rana Plaza collapse), e.g. sweatshops in China- apple- they are paid £1.12 an hour- high suicide rates as a result of poor working conditions.

Drug trade- for e.g. in LA, de-industrialistion has led to the growth of drugs gangs outnumbering 10,000 members. 

What is the left-realism theory of globalisation and crime?

Relative deprivation is fuelled by:

• Cultural globalisation, which is promoting consumerism. Created by a bulimic society: people gorge on media images of consumer lifestyles but lack of money forces them to vomit out their raised expectations. This increases strain, leading to crime.

• Growing economic inequality- globalisation has increased the gap between the richest and the poorest, e.g, TNCs making enormous profits whilst unskilled workers and manual workers (usually young males) face unemployment. 

What are the types of crime related to the left-realists theory of globalisation and crime?

Utilitarian crime- to obtain consumer lifestyles. Edge work can lead to anti-social behaviour, such as rioting.

What is the late modernists’ theory of globalisation and crime?

Beck-risk society:

• Globalisation adds to the insecurity and uncertainty of life in late modernity. People are more risk conscious and fearful of things like losing their jobs, computer viruses, their identities getting stolen, terroism, nuclear accidents, climate change.

The causes of these risks are global and it is not always easy to identify who is responsible.

What are the types of crime relate to Beck’s risk society?

Green crime- climate change, environmental crime, water pollution.

What is Bauman’s theory of globalisation and crime?

Individualism: It is increasingly difficult to use welfare state as protection against unemployment and poverty (global economic crisis- recession-welfare cuts)- individuals then choose behaviour with the highest rewards.

• Growing individualism and consumer culture means that individuals are left to weigh up costs and benefits (e.g choosing to move, or choosing not to have children) of their decisions and choose the best course to bring them the highest rewards.

What is glocalisation?

Hobbs and Dunningham argue that glocalisation means that global criminal networks work within local contexts in order to be successful. E.g international drugs trade needs local networks of drug dealers or organise supply at local level. Existing local criminals need to connect to global networks e.g in order to have access to the drugs they wish to sell. 

What does Glenny say about globalisation and crime?

The McMafia refers to transnational organised crime gangs which mirror legal international corporations like McDonald’s. They set up franchises to sell illegal products across the world.

• Explains macro structures (finance, deregulation, state collapse).

• Top-down model of crime.