Perception of White-Collar Criminality: an Online Exploratory Survey Among Students in Azerbaijan

Year 2020, , 203 - 225, 18.11.2020

Inqilab Shahbazov Zaur Afandıyev

https://doi.org/10.26650/JPLC2020-0015

Abstract

Recent studies have challenged traditional wisdom regarding public indifference to white-collar crime by revealing equal or greater perceived seriousness of these crimes among respondents relative to traditional crime. The first of its kind in the local context, this study examined perceptions of white-collar crime among a self-select sample of students (n = 301) at Baku State University in Azerbaijan. The results indicate that, overall, Azerbaijani students view white-collar crimes as more serious than traditional crimes. Specifically, the manipulation of evidence by police officers, the acceptance of a bribe by a government minister, and an accountancy firm representing a large corporation hiding evidence of tax fraud from inspectors were ranked by the overwhelming majority as more serious than the street crimes they were compared with. Nonetheless, in some scenarios, both crime types were deemed equally serious. Binomial tests for comparison of the proportion of answers in each crime scenario, as well as Mann-Whitney U to allow for comparing mean differences in perceived seriousness and punitiveness were employed. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed in the end.

Keywords

White-collar crime, perceptions of white-collar crime, seriousness of crimes, Azerbaijan

References

• Albanese, J. S. (1995). White-collar crime in America. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
• Baku Stock Exchange (2019) Milestones in BSE’s history. Retrieved from: https://bfb.az/eng/tarixce/
• Benk, Serkan, McGee, Robert W., Budak, Tamer. (2018) A public perception study on bribery as a crime in Turkey. Journal of Financial Crime, 25(2), 337–353. doi:10.1108/JFC-07-2017-0061
• Benson, L.M., & Simpson, S.S. (2014) Understanding White-Collar Crime: An Opportunity Perspective. USA, Routledge
• Bertelsman Stiftung (2018). BTI 2018 | Azerbaijan Country Report. Retrieved from: https://www.bti-project.org/de/berichte/laenderberichte/detail/itc/AZE/
• Calavita, K., Pontell, H., & Tillman, R. (1997). Big money crime: Fraud and politics in the S & L crisis. Irvine: University of California Press.
• Carroll, R.M, Pine, S.P, Cline, S.J. and Kleinhans, B.R. (1974) Judged Seriousness of Watergate-Related Crimes, Journal of Psychology, 86, 235-39. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1974.9924822
• Côté, I. (2013). Fieldwork in the era of social media: Opportunities and challenges. PS: Political Science & Politics, 46, 615– 619.
• Council of Europe (2019) Azerbaijan should ease the pressure on free speech, improve the situation of lawyers and continue to work towards better livelihood opportunities for IDPs. https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/azerbaijan-should-ease-the-pressure-on-free-speech-improve-the-situation-of-lawyers-and-continue-to-work-towards-better-livelihood-opportunities-for-i
• Croall, H. (2001). Understanding white collar crime. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
• Cullen, F. T., Clark, G. A., Mathers, R. A., & Cullen, J. B. (1983). Public support for punishing white-collar crime: Blaming the victim revisited? Journal of Criminal Justice, 11, 481−493. doi: 10.1016/0047-2352(83)90002-8
• Cullen, F. T., Clark, G. A., Link, B. G., Mathers, R. A., Niedospial, J. E., & Sheahan, M. (1985). Dissecting white-collar crime: offence type and punitiveness. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 9, 15–28.
• Cullen, F. T., Hartman, L.J., & Jonson, L.C. (2009). Bad guys: Why the public supports punishing white-collar offenders. Crime Law and Social Change 51(1):31-44de
• Waal, T. (2013). Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War. New York, New York University Press
• Dodge, M., Bosick, S. J., & Antwerp, V. V. (2013). Do Men and Women Perceive White-Collar and Street Crime Differently? Exploring Gender Differences in the Perception of Seriousness, Motives, and Punishment. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 29(3), 399–415. doi.org/10.1177%2F1043986213496378
• Farnworth, M., Longmire, D. R., and West, V. M. (1998) ‘College students’ views on criminal justice,’ Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 9 (1): 39–57. doi.org/10.1080/10511259800084171
• Ferraro, K. & Lagrange R. (1985). The measurement of fear of crime. Sociological Inquiry, 57. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-682X.1987.tb01181.x
• Friedrichs, D. O. (1996). Trusted criminals: White collar crime in contemporary society. Belmont: Wadsworth Pub. Co.
• Friedrichs, D. O. (2007). Trusted criminals: White-collar crime in contemporary society (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thompson.
• Geis, G. (1973). Deterring corporate crime. In R. Nader & M. J. Greed (Eds.), Corporate power in America (pp. 182−197). New York: Grossman.
• Goff, C., & Nason-Clark, N. (1989). The seriousness of crime in Frederickton, New Brunswick: perception towards white collar crime. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 31, 19–34. doi.org/10.1177%2F0011128707303623
• Goldstein, H. (1974). Police corruption: A perspective on its nature and control. Washington, DC: Police Foundation.
• Grabowsky, P. N., Braithwaite, J. B., & Wilson, P. R. (1987). The myth of community tolerance toward white-collar crime. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 20, 33−44. doi.org/10.1177%2F000486588702000104
• Hamilton, V., & Sanders, J. (1996). Corporate Crime through Citizens’ Eyes: Stratification and Responsibility in the United States, Russia, and Japan. Law & Society Review, 30(3), 513-547. doi/10.2307/3054127
• Healy, P.M. & Serafeim, G (2016). An Analysis of Firms’ Self-Reported Anticorruption Efforts. The AccountingReview: 91(2), 489-511. doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2229039
• Holtfreter, K. (2005). Is occupational fraud “typical” white-collar crime? A comparison of individual and organizational characteristics. Journal of Criminal Justice, 33, 353−365. doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2005.04.005
• Huisman, W., & Vande Walle, G. (2010). The criminology of corruption. In G. de Graaf, P. von Maravic, & P. Waagenar (Eds.), The good cause. Theoretical perspectives on corruption (pp. 115–145). London: Barbara Budrich Publishers.
• Isenring, L.G. (2008). Perception of Seriousness and Concern about White-Collar Crime: Some Results of an Opinion Survey Among Swiss Banks. European Journal of Criminal Policy and Research, 14:371–389
• Kane, J., & Wall, A. D. (2006). The 2005 National Public Survey on White Collar Crime. Fairmont: National White Collar Crime Center.
• Kelly, D., Harper, D. J., & Landau, B. (2008). Questionnaire mode effects in interactive information retrieval experiments. Information Processing and Management, 44(1), 122-141. doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2007.02.007
• Kennedy, J.P. (2010). Examining the impact of ethics education on business students’ perceptions of white- collar crime. Digital Commons at Wayne State University
• Lee, JK., Frank, H., Wadsworth, J.W., & Brenda, S. (2017) Corruption Perceptions in the Caucasus: Impediments to Business Activity in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Journal of Marketing Management, 5 (2) 22-30
• Martinez, J. P. (2014). Unpunished criminals: the social acceptability of white collar crimes in America (Unpublished senior honors thesis). Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI.
• Meier, R. F., & Short, J. F. (1985). Crime as a hazard: Perceptions of risk and seriousness. Criminology, 23, 389–399. doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1985.tb00346.x
• Michel, C. (2017) Examining the Influence of Increased Knowledge About White-Collar Crime on Attitudes Toward It in the Undergraduate Classroom. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 28(1), 52–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511253.2016.1165854
• Michel, C. (2015) Violent Street Crime Versus Harmful White-Collar Crime: A Comparison of Perceived Seriousness and Punitiveness. Critical Criminology, 24:127–143
• Nelken, D. (2002). White collar crime. In: Maguire, Mike, Morgan, Rod and Reiner, Robert eds. The Oxford Handbook of Criminology (3rd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 844-877.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2016). Anti-corruption reforms in Azerbaijan: Fourth round of monitoring of the Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan. http://www.oecd.org/corruption/anti-bribery/OECD-ACN-Azerbaijan-Round-4-Monitoring-Report-ENG.pdf
• Papiashvili, T., & Orugova, L. (2013). Challenges of Azerbaijan pharmacy market development: Affordability of the prices an issue for local patients. Journal of Business (IBSUJB), 2(1), 21–24.
• Piquero, N. L., Carmichael, S., & Piquero, A. R. (2007). Research note: Assessing the perceived seriousness of white-collar and street crime. Crime & Delinquency, 54, 1–22. doi:org/10.1177%2F0011128707303623
• Pontell, H., & Geis, G. (2007). Black mist and white collars: Economic crime in the United States and Japan. Asian Criminology, 2, 111–126. doi:10.1007/s11417-007-9032-1
• Rosoff, S., Pontell, H., & Tillman, R. (2010). Profit without honor: White collar crime and the looting of America. Saddle River, Pearson.
• Rossi, P. H., Waite, E., Bose, C. E., & Berk, R. E. (1974). The seriousness of crimes: Normative structure and individual differences. American Sociological Review, 39, 224−237. doi:10.2307/2094234
• Sadigov, T. (2014). Corruption and social responsibility: Bribe offers among small entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan. East European Politics, 30(1), 34–53. doi:10.1080/21599165.2013.861351
• Sadigov, T. (2018). Psychological dimension of corruption: How are citizens likely to support anti-corruption policies in Azerbaijan? International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 38(5–6), 484–508. doi:10.1108/IJSSP-10-2017-0133
• Sebba, L. (1983). Attitudes of new immigrants toward white-collar crime: a cross-cultural exploration. Human Relations, 35(12), 1091–1110. doi/10.1177/001872678303601202
• Sever, M. & Roth, M.P (2012). Public Perceptions of White-Collar Crime in Turkey and Some Comparisons with the United States. Asian Journal of Criminology, 7: 327, doi 10.1007/s11417-011-9121-z
• Slapper, G., & Tombs, S., (1999). Corporate Crime, London: LongmanSputnik News Agency (2016) Azərbaycanda əhalinin ən çox narazılığına səbəb olan bank [The bank with the largest amount of complaints in Azerbaijan. Retrieved from: https://sputnik.az/life/20160701/406020155.html
• State Statistics Committee (2018). Crime data. Retrieved from: https://www.stat.gov.az/source/crimes/
• Sutherland, E. H. (1940). White-collar criminality. American Sociological Review, 5(1), 1–12.
• Sutherland, E. H. (1983). White Collar Crime - The Uncut Version. New Haven, Yale University PressThe Economist (2019) Democracy Index 2019. https://www.eiu.com/topic/democracy-index
• The Institute for War & Peace Reporting (2016). Azerbaijan’s Flawed Healthcare System. Retrieved from: https://iwpr.net/global-voices/azerbaijans-flawed-healthcare-system
• Transparency International (2019) Azerbaijan. https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/azerbaijan
• Transparency International (2018). Corruption perceptions index (CPI). Retrieved from https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018
• United Nations Development Programme (2018). Human Development Indices and Indicators: 2018 Statistical Update. http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/Country-Profiles/AZE.pdf Accessed 13 September 2019
• US State Department. (2017). Azerbaijan 2017 human rights report. Retrieved from: https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/277385.pdf
• van Erp, J., Huisman, W. and Vande Walle, G (2015). The Routledge Handbook of White-Collar and Corporate Crime in Europe. UK, Routledge
• Wertheimer, A. (1977). Victimless Crimes. Ethics,87(4), 302-318.
• The World Bank (2018) Azerbaijan. Accessed 11 September 2019 Retrieved from: https://data.worldbank.org/country/azerbaijan.