Paragons, Pariahs, and Pirates: A Spectrum-Based Theory of Enterprise

Americans have traditionally treated white-collar crime and organized crime as if they were two independent phenomena, but there is a growing awareness that they may not be that distinct and that a better appreciation of both problems would be possible if we had a single conceptual perspective through which to view them. Our alien conspiracy notions about organized crime are a major barrier to that understanding; they proceed from five underlying assumptions about the differences between business and crime. If instead of those differences we recognize a common thread of enterprise, and understand that it takes place across a spectrum includ ing legal and criminal businesses, then a single, unifying perspective can take shape. The distinctions along that spectrum are exemplified by three kinds of businessmen: the paragon, the pariah, and the pirate.