Abstract
This chapter presents cryptomarkets and drug supply chains as political economies. This means understanding how harm and benefits are distributed by processes external to the criminal group or act. The changing global power structure, the emergence of regionally dominant digital payment platforms, the international division of labour and the deformation of the international liberal order all affect how crime is done and where it happens. These changes also affect relationships between states, law enforcement, and citizens and the sphere of criminal activity. They lead much more to semi-licit or semi-criminal activity that is not wholly distinguishable from lawful enterprise.
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Bancroft, A. (2020). Illicit Trades Are Political Economies. In: The Darknet and Smarter Crime. Palgrave Studies in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26512-0_4
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