BOOK REVIEWS THE INFORMAL ECONOMY AND CONNECTIONS WITH ORGANISED CRIME: THE IMPACT OF NATIONAL SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC POLICIES

The informal economy (which is understood by the authors to be that which is not formal, a definition that incorporates both 'black ' and 'grey ' economies) is a pervasive subterranean phenomenon. A threat to some, an opportunity for others, and a potential lifeline for those on the margins. It is a functional element of urban and rural European society with many manifestations (for example, off the books labour, street trading, drugs and prostitution). This edited collection endeavours to explore the connections between the informal economy and organised crime, and questions whether the former is affected by national social and economic policies. By considering the substantively different contexts of a number of countries, the contributors examine for the first time how and why the extent and form of the informal economy is and can be in/directly and un/intentionally constructed by a state's law and policy frameworks and enforcement practices. The book is composed of nine essays (together with an introduction by the editors), each drawing upon empirical research findings and stemming from