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Moral Economy of Everyday Crime: Markets, Consumers and Citizens

NCJ Number
216502
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 46 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2006 Pages: 1011-1036
Author(s)
Susanne Karstedt; Stephen Farrall
Date Published
November 2006
Length
26 pages
Annotation
A comparative survey in three regions of economic change--England and Wales, West Germany, and East Germany--examined attitudes toward and practices of daily lawbreaking and morally questionable behavior.
Abstract
The study identified moral values and attitudes toward marketplace interactions that promoted daily illegal, unfair, and unethical behavior at the core of regular economic and social activities. Researchers determined that this condition was fueled largely by a condition called "market anomie," which was characterized by mistrust, self-interest, fear of being exploited, and cynical attitudes toward the fairness and necessity of laws that required discipline and behavioral change. Respondents in all the regions examined reported a willingness to take advantage of opportunities for deceit and financial advantage in daily interactions in the marketplace, largely because they believed others were doing the same. There was a sense of powerlessness in the face of overpricing, poor service, and excessive profits gained by the rich at the expense of those with moderate and low incomes. There was a pervasive sense that in societies with rapid economic change there was a race for the dollar, and the rules for the race were either unfair or were not usually followed by the rich and powerful. This has become justification for doing what one can, including engaging in immoral and illegal practices, in order to increase one's share of money and goods. The surveys involved 1,807 respondents in England and Wales, 1,732 in the former West Germany, and 805 in the former East Germany. The surveys were conducted in 2002 and included questions on offending or engagement in questionable market activities (10 offenses) and intentions to offend, using vignettes and a list of 5 offenses. Dependent variables pertained to offending or intention to offend, and independent variables were indicative of perceptions of "market anomie." 3 tables, 2 figures, 57 references, and appended structural equation models

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