5.6 globalisation and crime

Globalisation = the world becoming more interconnected

Hyperglobalists = that its a good thing, making society better

Pessimistic globalists = that its negative, leading to domination of western culture (cultural imperialism) which leads to a homogenous society

Postmodernists — globalisation is a significant feature of modern society. This process has a significant impact on crime. By making it increasingly global and by the knock on effects

Globalised crime

— globalisation allows rapid international travel and communication. Businesses may also facilitate international crime —

  • the internet → cyber crime, identity theft, international terrorism

  • Trans national business → tax evasion, money laundering

  • Travel → people + drug trafficking, smuggling, international terrorism

Castells - there is now a global criminal economy worth over 1 trillion pounds per year

Hobbs and Dunningham - ‘glocal crime’, crime is both local and global. E.g gangs is a local issue but the availability of drugs is a product of globalisation

Globalisation causing crime

  • companies now export their manufacturing jobs to developing countries

  • Leads to unemployment and deskilling in countries like the UK and the USA

  • According to left realists, this leads to relative deprivation which can cause crime

  • Evidence - crime rates are high in areas of industrial decline, e.g forming mining villages in the UK

Evaluation

  • many of these crimes have existed for centuries. Traditionalists would argue that crime is changing due to social change, not because of globalisation

  • Lack of jobs did not lead to crime in the past. During the Great Depression there was unemployment and crime rates lowered. However this may support the argument that relative deprivation causes crime, rather than poverty.

counterpoint — this may show that neither drive crime, it may be other factors such as welfare dependency, which is unrelated to globalisation

Application

  • culture and identity - a global culture could cause or amplify deviance

  • Power and stratification - the effects of globalisation differ. The wealthy benefit, but many suffer (those in developed countries with the loss of jobs)

  • Power - increases corporate crime, can operate in less developed countries to exploit the workers (no laws on wages, or health and safety)