Globalisation Flashcards
Globalisation
The process through which countries all around the world are becoming more interconnected and interdependent through technology, trade, people, travel.
Pros of Globalisation
- International coorporation
- Economies boosted
- Cultural diversity
Cons of Globalisation
- Increased migration leads to prejudice
- Interedependence of resources ruins individual stability
Ian Taylor - Globalisation, Capitalism and Crime
Globalisation made it very easy for companies to relocate to less developed countries save a huge fortune on wage costs, avoid restrictive ‘health and safety’ regulations and work staff harder. The poor get exploited in these countries. Back in the home country, the relocation of the company leaves a huge gap in the job market. Unemployment increases, low skill staff are made redundant, increases social inequality and can make people turn to crime. By re-locating overseas, new criminal opportunities emerge for the executive leaders of these companies. The movement of funds around the globe to avoid taxation is very common and difficult to police.
Ian Taylor - Criticisms
Determistic and a lack of empirical evidence prevents Taylor from being able to validate his claims.
Transnational crime
Crime that involves more than 1 country.
Transnational crime - examples
- Illegal migration
- Human trafficking
- Sex trafficking
- International terrorism
- Drug trafficking
- Arms trafficking
Global drugs trade
230 million people are drug users around the world. Of those, 27 million are considered to be dependant on drugs. Heroine and cocaine are massively traded worldwide unlike locally produced drugs like cannabis and amphetamines.
Global drugs trade - routes
Since Globalisation took off, the drugs trade became more transnational rather than local. Drugs grown in South America and Middle Eastern Countries make their way to the UK via well established routes. Globalisation has made drug trafficking far quicker and easier and detection has become less likely. The more people and goods that flow in an out of a country, the higher chance of drugs being smuggled in. Approximatly 52,000 deaths every year occur in USA linked to illegal drug use.
Globalisation and crime
Did globalisation lead to an increase in crime, or did Globalisation expose crime more easily?
The drug trade in a global age
1980s Los Angeles:
Sharp decline in the traditional industry sector which resulting in hight unemployment for many African-Americans. Racism and a lack of opportunity for legal employment encouraged many young black people into the illigetimate business sector, notably the drugs trade. Crack houses were set up for distilling and cutting crack cocaine. Development for this trade saw a rapid increase in gang crime as gangs fought for control of the trade and ‘clients’. By 1988: it was estimated that the memberships of gangs amounted to approx. 15,000 gang-related killings in 1 day.
Decline of traditional industries was partly due to companies moving to low-wage countries, leaving many without work.
Marxist view on Colombia
Have little choice but to cultivate drugs rather than legal crops, and sell these to foreign markets to survive. 20% of Colombia’s population depend on cocaine production for their livelihood.
Misha Glenny - McMafia
Studied the impact impact that the fall of communism had in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s in opening new criminal opportunities. Re-regulation occured expect in major state-controlled sectors such as oil. Prices were kept very low, allowing those with access to funds (former communist officials and KGB Secret Service generals) to easily purchase resources and then sell them internationally for incredibly high sums of money. This new Capitalist class emerged -oligarchs- to which they hired services of new, mafia-style organisations to keep their welath safe. They would transport their money safely across the world for large sums of money using their own criminal networks.
Misha Glenny - criticms
Despite the impact of globalisation on crime in these ways, does this mean that crime on a local level is now overlooked? Money laundering and corruption is not new, does Globalisation just shine a light on it?
Human trafficking
The recruitment of people for the purpose of slaverly and labour.
Global risk conciousness
The rapid rate of social change in the globalised world that has created new risks, uncertainty and choices at macro level.
Glocal
Interconnectivity between local and global in relation to crime with transactional crime rooted into ‘glocalities’ - local contents with global links.
Joanne Connolly - Globalisation and crime article
There are 6 negative costs of globalisation:
- agressive wage restraint
- 0 hour contracts
- underemployment
- tax dodging for the rich
- opportunities for companies to relocate to more profitable countries.
Gobalsation has effected crime in 3 main ways:
- changing the entent of crime
- changing the nature of crime
-intensification of cross-national coorporation for the control of crime.
The marketisation of societies helped contribute to an increase in crime via the demand and supply side for serives and products from the affluent West is now being matched by developing countries which leads to changing patterns and rates of crime (the Global Drugs trade).
What makes it difficult to investigate and prosecute those who are responsible for trafficking people are that some victims pay to get smuggled into countries, making them less likely to report their own exploitation.
Linda Pressly, October 2021, BBC News article: Trafficked to Europe for sex: a survivor’s escape story
The International Organisation for Migration estimated 80% of Nigerian women travelling overland are trafficked into the European sex trade.
Over 14,000 trafficking victims were registered in 2017/18 but these are only identifiable cases. Half of these were from outside the EU, Nigeria being one of the top 5 nationaliies.
Sex exploitation is the main purpose for trafficking (European Commission), and in 1 year, the criminal revenues derived from it are an estimated £12 billion.
November 2011: Human Trafficking news article
The most common form of trafficking is sex trafficking. Young women as young as 14 years old are the most common vicims especially from poorer countries.
Sex trafficking is on the increase due to growing demand in the UK for prostitution and the increase of overseas ‘stag’ parties where prostitutes are brought and used.
There are 2 main organisations attempting to help women in sex trafficking:
- the 2003 Poppy Project: in April 2011 they lost a £6 million contract with the Ministary of Justice, and are still trying to continue their work with public funds.
- 2007 Operation Maxim: shut down in 2010 due to lack of funding.
Why human trafficking increased
- Increase of globaltravel allows for more physical opportunities for trafficking.
- Interconnectedness of countries (social media/better travel routes) means that people are aware of what life is like elsewhere and are willing to travel there.
- Women are tricked into prostitution and slavery, children forced into illegal adoptions and marriages; criminal gangs make a lot of money from organising the trafficking of people.
Migrant smuggling/illegal migration
In contrast with human trafficking which can take place both domestically and internationally, migrant smuggling is a crime that takes place only across borders. It consists in assisting migrants to enter or stay in a country illegally for financial or material gain.
Statistics from 2014-2022
48,423 detected deaths recorded during migration.
UK June 2024
38,784 ‘irregular arrivals’ detected.
- This is 26% less than the year before.
- 81% arrived by ‘small boats’.
2024 was the deadliest year for chanel migrants - between Janurary and October, 52 people died.
