Corporate and white collar crime

Abstract

Enormous financial, social, and environmental harm is wrought by business activities that merit both the label white collar crime and strict punishment. Through analysis of Australian cases, this chapter shows how the harms that arise do so within a promise of broader benefits to both government and the community at large. Despite significant injustice in the distribution of benefits, they allow business to exert significant leverage over national governments and law, and to rationalise their capacity to generate profits on the global stage. Hence, social and political-not just legal-responses are needed to reduce the problem.