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Globalisation and Crime in Contemporary society - Coggle Diagram
Globalisation and Crime in Contemporary society
Held and McGrew 2007
Globalisation involves the process of deterritorialization - social, political and economic activities aren't connected to a specific country
Karofi and Mwanza 2006
The Nature and Extent of Global Crime
Globalisation has led to a global criminal economy, new opportunities for crime and new types of crime have emerged
Illegal trade in weapons, nuclear material
Human trafficking
Illegal / migrant workers
Cybercrimes
Terrorism
Money laundering
Transnational Organised Crime
Castells
Argues that globalisation has created transnational networks of organised crime - often involves state officials
Farr 2005
Suggests there are 2 main forms
Established mafias
e.g Italian America Mafia
Newer organised crime groups
Emerged since globalisation e.g Colombian drug cartel
Between them these organisations control much of the worlds human trafficking, money laundering, weapon and drug smuggling etc
Castells
Emphasises the increasing international linkages between criminal groups - deterriotialised and globalised
Glenny 2009
McMafia, crime groups mirror the activities of legal transnational comapnies
How globalisation has affected crime
1. Disorganised capitalism
Lash and Urry 1987
Globalisation has been accompanied by less regulation and fewer state controls over business and finance - disorganised capitalism
Taylor 1999
This process has led to fewer job opportunities and less job security, a reduction in the state provision of welfare and healthcare undermines social cohesion and fuels crime - people search for alternative opportunities
2. Growing Inequality
Globalisation produces new patterns of inequalities
Taylor 1997
Winners
= Rich financial investors and TNC's based in western countries
Losers
= Workers
The most disadvantaged in all societies are at most risk and insecurity in their lives and experience growing relative deprivation which feeds crime
3. Supply and demand in a globalised world
High levels of emigration to western countries who have made immigration more difficult has creates a market in human trafficking - any immigrants are in debt to smuggling gangs forces them into slavery to repay their debt
In affluent countries demand for illegal drugs provides a means of making money by dealing drugs - supply is met by poverty stricken farmers in developing countries (Colombia)
Demand for body parts and women from sex from affluent countries is met by people from poor countries
4. More opportunities for crime
Growing globalisation and global communication offer new types of crime and new ways of carrying crime out
Internet provides speed, convenience and relative anonymity (skimmed credit cards)
Crime committed in one country may have its perpetrators located in another country and without cooperation of other states it can make police investigations impossible. this sustainability reduces the risk of being involved in such crime
5. Cultural globalisation and the ideology of consumerism
Globalisation through tourism, migration and the media has spread similar culture and ideology of consumerism across the globe
In media saturated societies both developed and developing countries are exposed to the ideology of obtaining the 'good life'
Young
Argues that many people have little chance of achieving this and a bulimic society encourages a turn to crime
6. Growing Individualism
Bauman 2000
Growing individualism. Lifestyle improvements are reliant on our own efforts and we can no longer rely on state welfare to protect us
Taylor
Individuals weigh up the costs and benefits of their decisions and choose the path with the highest reward
These ideologies put personal gain above the community benefit - crimes provide individuals with a means of achieving rewards otherwise unobtainable
7. Global risk society
Beck 1992
Adds to the uncertainty and creates a 'global risk society'. People become more risk conscious e.g loosing jobs, terrorism, internet safety, nuclear attacks
The media play on these fears and scapegoat immigrants and migrant workers as being 'allegedly responsible'
Negatives of Crime and Globalisation
Secretive + complex nature makes it a difficult area to study - specialist skills required, technology
Questions raised over the validity of the research as no secondary sources exist
Research can be dangerous, involving powerful individuals (drug lords)
Some see it as a distraction into the research of routine crimes which concerns peoples everyday lives
It is easy to exaggerate the significance and impact of global crime
Positives of Crime and Globalisation
Valuable area of study as focuses on some of the newest and most dramatic areas of crime
Globalisation of crime has meant more interconnectedness of law enforcement - working across national border, better international security
Glocalism - Hobbs and Dunningham 1998
Suggest global criminal networks work within local contexts as interdependent local units
Hobbs
coined them as 'glocal' to describe the inter connectivity - local contexts global links.
This glocalism means the precise criminal activity will be shaped by the cultural, political and economic circumstances of the local and global contexts - glocalaities - of which they occur