The Crimes of the Economy: A Criminological Analysis of Economic Thought

Description

Economists have often paid visits to the field of criminology, examining the rational logic of offending. When economists examine criminal activity, they imply that offenders should be treated like any other social actor making rational choices. In The Crimes of the Economy, Vincenzo Ruggiero turns the tables by examining a variety of economic schools of thought from a criminological perspective. Each one of these schools, he argues, justifies or even encourages harm produced by economic initiative. He investigates - among others - John Locke's notion of private property, Mercantilism, the Physiocrats and Malthus, and the arguments of Adam Smith, Marshall, Keynes and neoliberalism. In each of these, the author identifies the potential justification of different forms of 'crimes of the economy' and victimisation. This book re-examines the history of economic thought, assessing it as the history of a discipline which, while attempting to gain scientific status, in reality seeks to make the social harm caused by economics acceptable. The book will be interesting and relevant to students and scholars of social theory, criminology, economics, philosophy and politics. Cover The Crimes of the Economy Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents 1 Introduction 2 Humans and venison Monstrous races The chain of being Coloniality and barbarians Humans and venison The poor Right to dominion Limits to greed? Us and them 3 Victims of progress Merchants as rulers England’s treasure The fear of goods The denial of the victims Destroying and regenerating 4 Rural philosophy and natural law Mythic ruralism Enclosures Laissez-faire, crime and the law The autonomy of economics 5 From a ‘modest proposal’ to eugenics Mouths exceed mouthfuls Poverty as choice Workhouses and bastardy Workfare and moral restraint The underclass and eugenics A eunuch and a tyrant? 6 Invisible hand and visible injury Idle and labouring criminals Self-interest and public good The injuries of inactivity Infant industries Crime, conflict and negligence Negligence or malice? 7 Value, risk and deviant innovation Value and riches The rate of profit Islands of illegality On taxes Risk Innovation Defenders and passionate opponents The economy and social norms 8 Marginal utility and the hidden economy Evolutionary economics The honesty of the wealthy Value, labour and wages Shadow economies Relief from responsibility 9 Socialism for the rich Am I a liberal? The great slump Reverse Keynesianism Propensity to consume Operative crime 10 Neoliberalism and ecocide The ‘Great Society’ Masturbation and theology Axioms and risk Boundaries and valueless lives Freedom to choose and radical capitalism Dirty collar crime Angelus Novus 11 Business, war and crime Management in competitive situations Decision cycles War as crime War as corporate crime The bellicose corporation The industry of death Thriving on chaos 12 Conclusion The art of acquisition The excrement of the devil The House of St George On liberty and crime Markets v. communities Economics and moral sentiments Enough References Index