The ‘Dark Side of Globalisation’? Anti‑Illicit Trade Discourse and the Role of Ideas in the Fight Against Globalised Economic Criminality

Anti-illicit trade discourse, shaped largely by actors in the Global North, has developed quietly over decades, well before recent geopolitical tensions put global trade in the spotlight. Drawing on 52 interviews with international organisations, government agencies, private firms and NGOs, this paper traces how the category of ‘illicit trade’ emerged through three threads: tobacco smuggling, counterfeit goods and trade-based money laundering. It finds that the discourse focuses enforcement on discrete smuggling activities and stigmatises particular trade actors, rather than tackling the systemic drivers of globalised economic crime, and may ultimately weaken the political will needed to address illicit finance at its roots.

Adam Blanden (University of Birmingham)

Dr Mayya Konovalova (Birmingham Business School)

Prof Sami Bensassi (Birmingham Business School)

October 2026