Choosing white-collar crime /

Shover (Univ. of Tennessee) and Hochstetler (Iowa State Univ.) begin by noting the paucity of official data on white-collar crime and describing the main conceptual disagreements within the field, including debates over definitions and typologies. Using diverse examples, they provide a persuasive argument for the application of rational-choice theory to the problem of explaining and controlling white-collar crime. Hitherto, its application to street crime has been problematic, since the ability of these criminals to think rationally about crime and its consequences is limited by poverty, lack of education, and substance abuse. However, white-collar offenders inhabit a "bourgeois world ... wrapped in the rationality of accountants" and are accustomed to weighing the benefits and risks of their decision making. The authors correctly conclude that the lack of state regulation and punishment has greatly contributed to the increase in such crime over the last 25 years. While they acknowledge the role of social hierarchy, the availability of the lure, and the power of culturally competitive worlds in generating white-collar crime, they neglect to consider the impact of neoliberal capitalism itself. Gender differences are also inadequately explored. Nonetheless, this well-written and researched book contributes to the understanding of an important neglected topic. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. All levels. G. B. Osborne University of Alberta