Illicit trade is often imagined as taking place outside legitimate markets: prohibited goods move through clandestine channels, criminal actors bypass formal controls, and enforcement intervenes at the boundary between legal and illegal economic activity.
The integration of refugees into the labor market in Europe has long been a central topic in both academic research and policy debates. However, employment depends on more than just individual skills or educational qualifications.
“Hashish, marijuana, cocaine” – this was how Lisbon greeted me last year as I walked through the city centre. When I asked one of the sellers whether he was afraid of the police, whose car was parked only 50 metres away, he replied confidently: “No problem, it’s all legal.”
Portugal’s Drug Paradox: Street Scams and International Trafficking Read More »
A container ship idling off a major port, waiting its turn among hundreds of others, is not usually where one looks for the roots of illicit trade.
Globalization’s Shadow Economy: Inequality, Legitimacy, and the State’s Quiet Complicity Read More »
Illicit trade is a persistent, multifaceted challenge in the Western Balkans that severely undermines economic stability, governance, and regional security.
Potential Threats and Long-Term Effects of Illicit Trade in the Western Balkans Read More »
Digital commerce has transformed how consumers access goods, brands, and services. It has also created a highly attractive environment for illicit actors.
There’s a tired joke that technology moves at the speed of light and the law moves at the speed of a committee. AI has stopped making that funny.
The illicit trade is not supported by criminal groups only. It is also supported by those who do not have adequate information, tools, and institutional capabilities to understand what is going on and how to respond to it.
When Communities Go Digital: Fighting Illicit Trade from the Ground Up Read More »
For decades, the international discourse on human trafficking for sexual exploitation has been limited into a rigid dichotomy. On one side, the Moral approach portrays North-African and European sex-work migration as a story of absolute victimization, where women are abducted or tricked by traffickers.
The Invisible Chains: Social Coercion in the Nigerian Sex Trade Read More »
In Lithuania, there is increasing talk of the need to strengthen defense capabilities, develop local defense industry, and increase participation in international supply chains.
Lithuanian defense industry: is regulation hindering growth? Read More »
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