Illicit economies

Customary illegality, moral economies and circulation

Bibliographic Data

ID8964332
AuthorsNicky Gregson (0000-0002-2796-389X, Department of Geography Durham University Durham DH1 3LE, corresponding author), Mike Crang (0000-0001-7678-8496, Department of Geography Durham University Durham DH1 3LE)
Year2016
Volume42
Issue2
Pages206-219
Publication date2016-11-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTransactions of the Institute of British Geographers (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-2754 • E-ISSN: 1475-5661
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/tran.12158
OpenAlexW2558242853
LanguageEN
Citations received36
References cited37

This paper is concerned with how to think the illicit and illegal as part of economies. Economic geography has only recently begun to address this challenge but in limited ways. The paper shows the difficulties with those approaches, chief among which is a reassertion of the legal/illegal binary of products and actors that is contested by the more open term illicit economies. We draw on work in cultural economy to move economic geography beyond this impasse by seeing economy as practice. The paper develops a conceptual account of illicit economies connecting moral economy and the opacities produced by logistically complex global trade to highlight the importance of customary illegality in doing business. Customary illegality is the tolerance or practice of illicit activities by largely legal economic actors rather than just a focus on illegal goods or criminal actors. Illicitness is thus shown to be neither a property of goods nor of particular economic actors, but rather a transient quality often linked to circulation. The argument is illustrated empirically through three examples drawn from the food sector. The conclusion makes suggestions for future research that are empirical, methodological and conceptual

Argument (complex analysis · Circulation (fluid dynamics · Economics · Economy · Moral economy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Work (physics · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Law · Sex work and related issues · Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access