State Crime and Immorality: The Corrupting Influence of the Powerful

This is the first book to examine the activities of UK and international ‘role models’ through the lens of state crime and social policy. Written by experts in the field of sociology and social policy, it defines the ideal state as a single, functioning whole that ensures uniformity in the name of legitimacy. It then details the ways that states do not constitute the ideal in terms of the dangers associated with the maintenance of legitimacy and state power. Anti-democratic measures, such as the invasions of other nation states, the idea that the media can both reinforce and influence the state and the problems of over-zealous policing of a state’s own populace, are covered.

Using the topical example of Rupert Murdoch and the activities of his media organisation to show how powerful individuals and corporations can and do exert political influence, the book provides a comprehensive discussion of state immorality and deviance generally and state crime in particular. It will appeal to range of academics and practitioners in broader disciplines such as criminology, sociology, politics and political science.

Mark Monaghan is a lecturer in Sociology, Social Policy and Crime at the University of Leeds, UK. He completed his first degree in Sociology from the University of Liverpool and then went to Leeds to undertake postgraduate study. His doctoral research centred on the problematic nature of evidence-based policy-making, when applied to heavily politicised areas.

Simon Prideaux is an Associate Professor of Social Policy, Disability and Crime at the University of Leeds, UK. He has written widely on social policy and has a growing profile within disability studies. His interests take in comparative access policy, welfare discourses, conditionality and political ideologies.