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Entrepreneurship and organised crime: a systematic review and research agenda based on three decades of scholarship

Salvatore Cincimino (Department of Scienze Economiche, Aziendali e Finanziarie, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy)
Salvatore Gnoffo (Department of Scienze Politiche e delle Relazioni Internazionali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy)
Fabio La Rosa (Department of Law, University of Catania, Catania, Italy)
Sergio Paternostro (Department of Law, LUMSA, Roma, Italy)

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

ISSN: 1462-6004

Article publication date: 23 April 2024

Issue publication date: 9 October 2024

140

Abstract

Purpose

Scholarly interest in the business effects of organised crime (OC) has recently increased. This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) on the conditions under which OC could pose a threat to or take control of firms within a particular context.

Design/methodology/approach

We use narrative synthesis and thematic analysis, with a sample of 46 theoretical and empirical studies published over the past 30 years on the relationship between OC and firms within the disciplines of Business, Management and Accounting (BMA).

Findings

SLR and thematic analysis show that scholarly interest has focused on four key domains: OC as a firm, the impact of OC on firms, firms’ efforts to counter OC’s influence and governmental interventions. Using medical metaphors, we also develop a diagram depicting the interplay between OC and firms within the BMA literature.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature shaping an agenda to steer future research towards these four key themes. The effectiveness of anti-OC tools and measures depends on a thorough understanding of local norms, behaviours and business practices. In addition to measurement and methodological challenges, several grey areas remain, including the distinction between criminal enterprises and legitimate businesses. Ambiguities also surround the circumstances under which the OC preys upon firms or employs them to establish dominance over a territory.

Keywords

Citation

Cincimino, S., Gnoffo, S., La Rosa, F. and Paternostro, S. (2024), "Entrepreneurship and organised crime: a systematic review and research agenda based on three decades of scholarship", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 31 No. 6, pp. 1088-1118. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-12-2022-0515

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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