With the appearance of Homer's study, it is no longer possible to base any serious work about organized crime on the superficial debate over whether or not this set of activities is dominated by one or more particular ethnic groups, writes political scientist Michael A. Weinstein in his introduction. Homer removes the study of organized crime from the realm of sensationalism and ethnic chauvinism, and places it in the context of contemporary American social structure. He reviews prevalent myths and hypotheses about organized crime and critically analyzes them in the framework of contemporary organization theory. In this context, organized crime is analyzed in its economic, political, ethnic, and social class dimensions.
Acknowledgments
Foreword, by Michael A. Weinstein
Chapter: I Introduction
Chapter 2: The History of Organized Crime
Chapter 3: Social and Psychological Characteristics of Organized Criminals
Chapter 4: Organized Crime as an Economic and Political System
Chapter 5: Activities and Society
Chapter 6: Policy Perspectives
Notes
Index