Globalisation and crime: reasons

  • Changes in society (reason)

  • Increased volumes of international crime to features of globalisation that make crime easier to commit.

  • Increased air travel, cultural homogeneity, deregulation of financial markets and advances in information technology. (cyber crime - TFL got hacked)

(pessimistic view of role of globalisation) - as many aspects have led to increased crime and inequality.

-Taylor(1997) suggests globalisation has led to the expansion of capitalism and exploitation of people 

-Castells(1998) global crime economies account for 1 trillion of economic activity. - now it's currently 2 and a half trillion.

Global inequality 

-Increased global inequality - led to less affluent nations having large %s of population engaged in illegal activities.

-(eg) Increased trade of opium from afghanistan post 9/11, high levels of employment in cocaine production in columbia.

Global conflicts 

-Increased conflicts, led to more international migration and rise in human trafficking.

-Increased levels of terrorism in post 9/11 era particularly in west europe (France, Germany and UK have seen a rise in activity) 2001

Globalisation and risk

-Increased fears about migration 

-media reporting of migrant activities often unbalanced and heightens fear (moral panic)

-influence from western nations as they have 24 hrs rolling new coverage creating conflicts between individuals.

-(eg) recently in the news refugees were reported to be attacked on the UK news.

Urbanisation and industrialization 

(first time the majority of the population of people are living in cities than the countryside)

-Green and corporate crimes as production movies from western nations to developing world

-Growth of urban ‘megacities’ (more than 10 million people) leads to air and water pollution.

-over production of goods leads to desertification 

-deforestation to cope with increased demand for goods and grazing of livestock 

Evaluation 

  • Many crimes existed pre-globalisation, trafficking of arms, fraud, international corporate crimes, but have just been brought more awareness due to the internet and impacts on the UK of global society.

  • Green crime shifted- but is transgressive, may have cleaner air in uk but air pollution still exists 

  • Fraud has moved online rather than face to face global nature to fraud.

  • Globalisation has not necessarily created more crime but has made it more accessible.

What does Hobbs and Dunningham mean by ‘Glocal’ crime?

  • Crime is locally based but with global connections , but the form will vary from place to place according to local connections.

What does Glwnny(2008) mean by McMafia?