La criminalité économique en U.R.S.S., ses formes et son ampleur

Abstract

Economie criminality in the USSR : forms and size This work evaluats the size of economic criminality in the USSR. The informations was gathered largely from soviet newspapers in the Gorbachev'era. Those goods most often associated with economic criminality are : first, food and alcool products, and, secondly, cars, spare parts, fuel, construction materials, clothing, money and audio- equipments. Speculation, embezzlement and fraud are the main types of infractions associated with these goods. We examine the more common ways to commit these infractions. Particular types of crimes are usually related to specific groups. For example, speculation is most often correlated with agricultural production, embezzlement with trade, and fraud with factories and gaz stations. Crimes in connection with particular types of products are also linked to different variables such as occupations, sex, geographical locations and ethnic groups. Workers in transport are often engaged in speculation related to agricultural products, they also steal quantities of fuel. Employees in trade network and food industry are largely involved in embezzlement in workplaces. Other occupations are strongly linked with criminal activities : accounting, police work, custom work and security work. In the USSR, the state do not adequately provide the population with variety of goods and services. Transport, home and cottage construction, car repair, home renovation, renting of room, shadow production of such goods like clothing, are, to a large extent, private services, most of them illegal until 1987. Economic criminality include infractions specific to ordinary citizens — speculation, embezzlement, and private work ; most often, other infractions are in favor among the nomenklatura : bribery, nepotism and favoritism. Economic criminality is popular among the upper echelons of the ruling class in Moscow during the Brejnev's tenure, but less after 1982. In the leadership of asian and transcaucasian republics, of certain instances of power inside the Kremlin and in certain regions of Russia, corruption is present until 1985 and even during the first years of the Gorbachev's period. In the lower echelons of the society, generally speaking, minor changes occur from one period to another, from one leader to another.