Organisational Crime: Nature, Dynamics and Regulation

The purpose of this chapter is to examine organisational crime as a complex form of wrongdoing that emerges from the interaction between individual actions or omissions, organisational structures and cultures, as well as broader political-economic conditions. We argue that organisational crime cannot solely be understood by examining isolated incidents of misconduct or the actions of a few ‘rogue’ individuals. Therefore, it is also important to consider how organisational crime is facilitated by organisational routines, performance/target-related pressures, limited regulatory oversight, and cultures that normalise risk or indifference to harm. We begin by outlining key definitional and conceptual points, including the relationship between organisational crime and corporate crime. The chapter then examines key forms of organisational wrongdoing, before considering explanatory frameworks at the individual, organisational, and political-economic levels, as well as regulation, enforcement, accountability, and the contested role of self-regulation. The chapter concludes by identifying ongoing and future challenges associated with artificial intelligence, greenwashing, supply chains, and shifting relationships between corporate and state power. Our intention is to signpost a criminological understanding of organisational crime as a structural, cultural, and regulatory concern.