It’s all connected! Merging the “networks of greed” and the “organisational power apparatus” into a new scheme to analyse complex perpetrator interactions in white-collar criminal cases

Abstract

In this paper, we expanded on the challenges when researching complex cases of white-collar crime due to the clandestinity of available information or the lack thereof. We used established concepts of the networks of greed as well as the organisational power apparatus to construct a novel approach for analysing the actors in such cases and their interactions. This new scheme was then applied to three cases, the exploitation of coltan in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the trafficking of arms in Mexico, and the grabbing of land in Bangladesh. Following our approach, we made some first steps towards a deeper understanding of the cases at hand. We were also able to draw some superficial conclusions on general topics of white-collar crime research. These included the hierarchy of criminal networks, the role of regular street crime therein, and the necessity to look beyond strictly empirical data that might otherwise remain unnoticed by research.