The Economic Geographies of Organized Crime

Illicit and illegal markets play a substantial role in the global economy, yet have received little attention from economic geographers. This incisive, innovative book examines the spatial dimensions of hidden economic practices and asks how organized crime can be understood empirically and conceptually through a geographical lens. Going beyond stereotypes about gangsters, the book explores the role of spatially distant corporate, state, and criminal actors in such activities as trafficking and smuggling of drugs, people, and goods; counterfeiting; cybercrime; corruption; money laundering; financing of terrorist groups; and environmental crime. It suggests ways that a geographical analysis can contribute to improving policies and practices to curb organized crime at the regional, national, and global levels.

Tim Hall, PhD, is Professor of Interdisciplinary Social Studies and Head of the Department of Applied Social Studies at the University of Winchester, United Kingdom. He is a human geographer who was originally interested in urban geography but who has, since 2006, developed research interests in economic geography and contemporary globalization, with a focus on the roles of organized criminal groups. He is author or editor of a number of articles, book chapters, and books on organized crime and globalization, urban geography, and pedagogy. Dr. Hall is the recipient of the Award for Promoting Excellence in Teaching and Learning from the Journal of Geography in Higher Education and the Excellence in Leading Geography Award from the Geographical Association, the latter for his article "Where the Money Is: The Geographies of Organized Crime."