2. Organized crime structures around the globe

Abstract

‘Organized crime structures around the globe’ looks at how different structures of organized crime exist in particular contexts worldwide. It begins by considering the connection between organized crime structures and particular national or cultural contexts as traditionally, and often in popular culture, organized crime has been understood through the lens of ethnic links. The nature, characteristics, and links with the sphere of the ‘upperworld’ (legal businesses, law enforcement, politicians, the state, nationalist organizations, etc.) are also looked at. The key structures of organized crime studied include Italian and Italian-American, British, Russian, Turkish, Latin American, Chinese, Japanese, and outlaw motorcycle gangs.