ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with some basic conceptual clarifications and the theoretical framework so far applied to the analysis of US organizational and individual deviance. Then, the main features of globalization and neoliberalism are presented, followed by a contrast of promises made by proponents of neoliberal policies and their actual consequences. Although there is no universally accepted definition of transnational crime, many commentators seem to think of it as a globalized form of the stereotypical “organized crime.” This, however, leaves out corporate and governmental crimes, whose effects can be far more harmful than those of “professional” criminals and ethnic groups involved in the business of illegal goods and services. Globalism and neoliberalism seem to be indistinguishable empirically or even conceptually. The supporters of global neoliberalism make a series of claims. For instance, the world is shrinking following greater connectivity. The distinction between core and periphery states is presumed to be getting fuzzier and irrelevant, as there are only winners.
