NCJ Number
79655
Editor(s)
L Johansson,
D Magnusson
Date Published
1979
Length
210 pages
Annotation
The conference on economic crime focused on three areas: definition and theory, forms and scope of white-collar crime, and enforcement strategies. Papers touch on the situation in West Germany, the United States, Europe as a whole, and Scandanavia, with most papers relating to Sweden.
Abstract
Individual topics include the difficulties inherent in conceptualizing the scope and content of economic crime, the difficulties in separating it from organized crime, and the problems in presenting economic crime to the public as real crime with victims. Other problems include the confusion over criminal responsibility when a whole company is involved, the effectiveness of fines as sanctions considering the financial benefits of illegal activities, and the secrecy of companies which makes investigation difficult. Research obstacles occur, according to several papers, from the fact that so little data are available and that a real definition of economic crime has not yet been developed. Progress in the Scandinavian countries toward such a definition is reported on in two papers, and a model of business operations is presented as an aid to identifying when and where economic crimes occur. A Swedish researcher charges that the lack of sufficient inroads into economic crime is a result of too few resources directed at it, while other contributors cite the government's connection with business in the form of subsidizing and partially owning businesses, depending on their tax revenues, etc., as a hindrance to more comprehensive control and prosecution. Several papers examine specific types of crime -- bankruptcy fraud, available funds fraud, abuse of regulations regarding labor conditions, tax fraud and evasion, organized crime -- and review opportunities for law reform. Activities of the European Advisory Committee on Economic Crime are reported on, and research into existing Swedish legislation as it affects economic crime is reviewed. Finally, a survey of completed, ongoing, and future research projects in Sweden is presented. References and tables accompany most papers. A bibliography of over 50 works is included. For separate papers, see NCJ 79656-79663.