Organised crime and power in the modern world

This chapter explores the complexity of blurring concepts of organised crime and power, starting from the former. Even though the concept of organised crime has been often linked to that of ‘power’, the manifestations of power in organised crime groups and behaviours are not easy to research. This chapter advances some thoughts on how to focus a research agenda on organised crime in the modern world, where criminal groups are not just interested in their criminal activities and dimensions; their behaviours, actions, money, ties, do harm societies and do intersect with power structures, financial elites, and of course political engines. A research agenda into organised crime and power, it is suggested at the end of this chapter includes exploring economic/financial power, physical power, and social power.