Gangs and the Gig Economy: Triads, Precarity and Illicit Work in Hong Kong

Paid employment in the criminal economy is, in many ways, the essence of precarious labour yet to date criminological work on the so-called ‘gig economy’ is scarce. Here we apply emergent sociological literature on ‘post-Fordist’ working cultures to precarious youth employment in Hong Kong, arguing:...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Fraser, Alistair David (Author)
Contributors: Joe-Laidler, Karen
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
In: The British journal of criminology
Year: 2024, Volume: 64, Issue: 1, Pages: 139-156
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Keywords:
Gangs
Hong Kong
Precarity
Youth
illicit economy
triads
Description
Summary:Paid employment in the criminal economy is, in many ways, the essence of precarious labour yet to date criminological work on the so-called ‘gig economy’ is scarce. Here we apply emergent sociological literature on ‘post-Fordist’ working cultures to precarious youth employment in Hong Kong, arguing: (1) recent reorganizations of labour markets towards flexible entrepreneurship are mirrored in the illicit economy; (2) a shift in structural features of triad gangs has led to a parallel form of ‘network sociality’; and (3) triad-affiliated youth remained rooted in place-based ‘communities of practice’ that form a point of difference from existing theory. In concluding, we reflect on the implications of these arguments for the study of illicit economies, triads and post-Fordist working cultures.
Item Description:Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 153-156
ISSN:1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azad018