SHADOW ECONOMY
ISMAIL LAGARDIEN: Permissible crime strips out all good sense
In our daily lives, whether intentionally or unintentionally, most South Africans contribute to the creation of shadow or parallel economies in many ways. From private barter or exchanges for labour to avoid taxation to outright crime, small-scale corruption and extortion, we debilitate the state from effecting social and economic development policies. Meso-level criminal activities such as hijackings, burglaries, theft and extortion, appear to have become permissible and culturally assimilated. The word "cultural" is used in a secular way, and does not refer to any race, ethnicity, language or religious group. I draw the idea of cultural assimilation of crime from my inquiry into the parasitic relationship between organised crime, the state and governance in southern Italy. Of course, parallel or shadow economies have been around for centuries, and are not unique to either rich or poor societies. For instance, by one account, between 800,000 and 1,000,000 cars were stolen in the US...
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