Illicit economies and the spaces of circulation

This research is concerned with examining the flows of goods in globalisation. Whilst most academic work focuses on how and where goods are produced, consumed and disposed of, relatively little addresses the circulation of goods in the global economy. Turning attention to the circulation of things highlights the critical role of maritime space (the sea) and of ports, trucks and truckers in holding the global economy together. It also flags the signficance of 'Plan D' or 'System D' in the global economy; that is, the vast range of informal or unregulated economic activity which underpins globalisation. This research examines these intersections, starting from four of the major EU ports, including in Northern and Southern Europe. It entails research with truckers, haulier agents, shipping agents and customs and excise inspectors. The focus for the research is the potential gap between the physical contents of the container box, and their value, and the description of those contents on the box manifest. As such, the research addresses the collision between a global economy predicated upon the uninterrupted flow of goods and security concerns which are beginning to identify ports as the weakest link in global security.

The potential beneficiaries of this research are three-fold in the first instance: (1) policy makers in the EU and the nation states of the ports that comprise the focus for the research; (2) those working directly in port logistics and distribution, including, but not limited to: truckers, haulier agents, shipping agents, customs and excise workers; (3) the media and general public.

For policy makers, both at the EU level and within EU member states, border security has largely focused on the legal and illegal movement of people, with the airport as the key site for policy intervention. By contrast, and as is increasingly being recognised in the US, port (in)security is an even greater challenge, rendered highly problematic by economies' need for goods to circulate with minimal delays for inspection. This is the collision of economics with security. For resasons to do with the ethical conduct of our research, it is inappropriate to involve these beneficiaries during the conduct of the research. Previous experience of working in a related area with policy makers shows that the primary point of interest is at the point where we have our research findings. These will be disseminated via short briefing notes and through 'highlights summaries' of key publications, in which academic work is translated to the policy audience. This will be particularly significant at the EU-level, where debate has hitherto focused on Fortress Europe and internal labour mobility.

The research is likely to produce significant evidence for all stakeholders involved in port logistics and distribution within the EU. Of these, the most likely immediate beneficiaries are truckers. These are the workers positioned at the lowest point in the sub contract distribution chain. Many are self-employed and the workforce generally is largely non-unionised. Security measures have affected this group hard. Our work, conducted with stringent assurances of anonymity, is likely to show the effects of the downturn in Europe on this group of workers. We are most likely to publicise this work via standard media channels, but only once we have completed the work, and without compromising sources. There is the potential to link this work to an emerging concern with ethical distribution, which has begun to appear in relation to seafarers' working conditions.

The public: ethical production and consumption have become increasingly important, in response to academic and NGO/journalistic accounts which have exposed the inequalities in global production, consumption and disposal. Distribution remains hidden from view. This research will make distribution visible and is likely to bring about significant public debate on the distribution chains on which consumers' lives in the EU depend. Not in terms of air miles, carbon accounting, or sustainability, but in terms of the distribution jobs on which they depend.