James G. Carrier (2018), “Economic, Crime and Wrong in a Neoliberal Era”, New York: Berghahn.
Dr. Aditi Paul
Johnson & Johnson and Janssen were sued over fraudulent promotion of an antipsychotic drug called Risperdal in 2012, like in early 2000s Minneapolis-based manufacturer of medical devices, Medtronic, was prosecuted for expanding the sale of a product by off-label prescription (promotion for unapproved uses for commercial gains). A Norwegian private corporation, Hydro shifted its base where not only cheap energy sources were located but had flexible regulations and tax rules. Marijuana prohibition act in the United States turned out better at increasing the usage of the illegal plant for medical purposes than at stopping its consumption. It now appears that the economic behavior that many would argue as deception has become a norm. Against this backdrop Economy, Crime and Wrong in a Neoliberal Era by social anthropologist James G. Carrier explores the re-emergence of economics, how it is associated with economic expectations, and how violations are evaluated in the contemporary times. Volume 36 of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) series, the book undertakes a systemic approach to discuss neoliberal societies, processes, and institutions of the world and their ‘deviance’, a term which Carrier vaguely describes as economic imprudence due to non-conformity to economic expectations.
The book is organized into 8 core chapters based on empirical case-studies comprehending the complexity in the application and assessment of economic right and wrong as well as the uncertainty of reactions of people to the same circumstances in the same way. Kalman Applbaum (chapter 1) sheds light on corrupt yet routinized commercial practices of pharmaceutical firms. He argues that what is valuable to corporations in the free market is antithetical to the ethics and benefits of the consumers. Emil A. Royrvik (chapter 2) explores the system of quantification, measurement, and standardization of projects and employees of a firm which encourages a culture of logic and accountability. He states that while the idea of measurable goals promises rewards or condemnation, it is a self-serving opportunity for violating ethical judgements for achieving pleasing numbers during auditing and assessment. Daniel Seabra Lopes (chapter 3) raises skepticism about the ingenuity of regulators in financial sector who are constantly perfecting financial norms to remedy financial crisis. Lopes points out that despite frameworks governing financial institutions, systemic crisis keeps taking place. Thomas Cantens (chapter 4) has much to say about the system of taxation and considers it to be an ethical form of governance generating state revenue. However, he argues that since taxation is not a proper science with precision, through fraud or legal means the possibility of varied interpretations of tax code tends to problematize the measurement of income and wealth leading to negotiated tax liabilities.
On the other hand, Michael Polson (chapter 5) examines the War on Drugs policy. He observes a transformation that took place 1980s onwards wherein marijuana turned from a prohibited commodity to a market logic. Polson argues that the legalization and marketization of marijuana is the result of the War on Drugs policy. Once prohibited, marijuana began to generate profits for the domestic marijuana economy which was ingeniously turning the illegal plant into an alternative medicinal form that is both legal to trade and advocate. Next Sabina Stan (chapter 6) discusses corruption (in the form of gifts) in the Romanian healthcare sector and illustrates it in post-socialist context. The fall of the communist regime post-1980s reduced state involvement in various parts of society and economy. This led to an increase in informal exchanges (between patients and healthcare personnel) which created unequal access to scarce medical services. Stan espouses a view that changes in the Communist regime in Romania did not stop the economy of favors and gifts in exchange for healthcare.
Others like Kathy Powell (chapter 7) attends to the blurring lines between legal and illegal activities. She argues that neoliberalism in Mexico and Central America ushered entrepreneurialism, unprotected employment in informal sectors, and criminal activities. These led to not only the impoverishment but also extortion and violence against workers. Such workers then turned into illegal and undocumented migrants searching for a safer place for survival. Powell marks that majority of these migrants ushered a socioeconomic movement by joining crime gangs. Expanding the discussion, Josiah McC. Heyman (chapter 8) states that on the one hand migrant workers are breaking US immigration laws to enter and work in United States, many American firms are also rapidly employing unauthorized migrants from Mexico and Central America. Heyman notes that while the trend of employing guest workers and unauthorized migrants has been exacerbated by neoliberalism, illegalized labor, and lack of transparency dates to the classical and liberal era. Lastly, Steven Sampson bookends by stating that the cord between normal and deviance is broken, and there is a need to separate the concept of normal from what is considered legal by a state. In the contemporary times, sometimes economic deviance is lauded as innovation and sometimes it is condemned as a wrongdoing. And, therefore values and morals in association with economic undertakings is situational and is reduced to a variable concept.
Economic, Crime and Wrong in a Neoliberal Era is less interested in conceptualizing neoliberalism and only attempts to uncover certain aspects of economy that has been shaped by neoliberalism. Combining normative and empirical concepts, the book argues that the seemingly normal economic interactions of the state, market, and people are in fact a deviance. Recommended for both scholars and students, the book exposes its readers to the past and current fraudulent and scandalous marketing practices, cost-benefits analysis, government oversight, government-corporate nexus, and most importantly the changing face of economic behavior and expectations. In other words, the book is a must read for those investigating declining ethical and moral forces in businesses and the continuity of wrongdoing despite government vigilance.
