Dodgy goods and shady deals: how the global economy enables them

What is it about?

The paper looks at how dodgy goods, and shady transactions are part of the way the mainstream economy works. They are not confined to particular places (of poor governance) nor particular groups (criminal gangs). Instead it shows how they are tolerated and enabled in regular economies, how especially the global movement of goods provides opportunities for profit - some of which step outside the law. It takes examples of international trade in food stuffs: specifically olive oil, meat and honey.

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Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash

Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Estimates of counterfeit goods trade suggest it is up to 7% of global trade, that undeclared work and activity in many developed countries runs at >10% of the whole. And yet these areas are often left out of economic analysis. It argues that the illicit is even more pervasive than that but is a transient quality - lots of things that end up in 'reputable' places and products have (parts) that pass through illicit stages