Channeling contraband: how states shape international smuggling routes

Gallien, Max and Weigand, Florian ORCID: 0000-0003-2629-0934 (2021) Channeling contraband: how states shape international smuggling routes. Security Studies, 30 (1). 79 - 106. ISSN 0963-6412

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Abstract

Although smuggling is commonly assumed to happen in remote and difficult-to-access borderlands, in reality, smuggling is most prevalent in areas that states tightly control, including at formal border crossings. To understand this puzzle, this article explores the relationship between states and smugglers at international borders. Based on extensive empirical research in various borderlands in North Africa and Southeast Asia, it argues that different kinds of smugglers prefer different types of relationships with the state. The article outlines six ideal types of such relationships. It contends that these types of relationships are the dominant factor in how different smuggling networks choose routes along a border. The findings have implications for our understanding of smuggling and policies that aim at addressing smuggling, especially regarding the effects of border fortifications and corruption prevention.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/fsst20/current
Additional Information:	© 2021 The Authors
Divisions:	International Development
Subjects:	J Political Science > JZ International relations H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
Date Deposited:	09 Sep 2020 14:45
Last Modified:	17 Apr 2024 23:13
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/106527

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