THE DOWNSIZING OF AMERICA - A NEGLECTED DIMENSION OF THE WHITE-COLLARCRIME PROBLEM

Downsizing has emerged as one of the noteworthy economic trends of the 1990's. This paper offers a preliminary exploration of the implicatio ns of corporate downsizing (real or perceived) for white collar crime. The following are among the issues considered: Can downsizing be defi ned, in a meaningful sense, as a crime against stakeholders (for the b enefit of shareholders)? Is downsizing an alternative to the commissio n of illegal acts by corporations seeking to maximize profit and minim ize loss), or an adjunct to such crime? Is the prospect of downsizing likely to inspire greater or lesser willingness on the part of corpora te middle managers to engage in illegal acts on behalf of the corporat ion? Are motivations to commit crime against corporate employers - and opportunities to do so - intensified (or diminished) as a consequence of the prospect of downsizing? Does downsizing promote higher levels of engagement in white collar crime among corporate middle managers co mpelled to accept white collar jobs paying far less than positions los t due to downsizing? Finally, does downsizing and its prospect contrib ute to a broader social and cultural environment conducive to more whi te collar crime?