"Narkotikaen er fattig manns arbeidsgiver": organisert kriminalitet som økonomisk aktivitet

Analysis of organized crime has had a tendency to focus too much on the economic gain as motive. Using perspectives and terminology from economic theory organized crime has been depicted as economic activity sharing basic similarities with legal enterprise. Such a perspective has given us knowledge and insights of great value. It makes us sensitive to the value of roles, markets and how the economy is different illegal markets are structured and provides us with useful concepts. Nevertheless this article argues that economic theory (economics) has limitations when it comes to explain the motivation behind organized crime. The different illegal markets have distinctions that exceed what traditional economics can explain. To understand the push and pull mechanisms and the peculiarities of organized crime and illegal markets we have to go elsewhere. Network theory and the sociology of economics can give us perspectives and help us better understand organized crime. There are quite a few non-economic pull factors that are important. This should make us aware of the limitations of the official view of organized criminals as simply profit seeking actors and the shortcomings of the widely adopted “follow the money” strategy