Shadow Economies and the State

A Comparison of Cassava and Timber Networks on the Cambodia-Vietnam Frontier

Bibliographic Data

ID3986206
AuthorsSango Mahanty (0000-0003-0382-5879, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University, Acton, Australia, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume49
Issue2
Pages193-215
Publication date2019-03-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Contemporary Asia (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-2336 • E-ISSN: 1752-7554
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00472336.2018.1545917
OpenAlexW2902129548
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited46

This article extends understandings of “shadow economies” – networked, economic exchanges outside formal state regulation – and specifically how they are socially, economically and politically nested within frontier landscapes. The article analyses two related commodities that are often cast differently upon the legality spectrum: timber and cassava. By comparing the actors, relationships and practices that facilitate timber and cassava trade across the Cambodia-Vietnam border, two significant points of connection are identified: border checkpoints and land transactions, both through state actors. The analysis therefore exposes the systemic role of state actors in shadow economies and broader processes of frontier commodification, supported by their regulatory mandate. Methodologically, the study illustrates how examining relationships between commodities can help to illuminate the mechanisms, relationships and ambiguities of shadow economies operating in resource frontiers in border areas

Commodification · Economic geography · Economic system · Economics · Economy · Frontier · Mandate · Political science · Principle of legality · Resource (disambiguation · Shadow (psychology · State (computer science · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Mining and Resource Management · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies

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