This special issue of EROC will examine criminal organizations and networks in Asia. It will focus on four prominent economic power blocs: China, India, Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Analysis would examine specific criminal actors rather than merely illicit economies.

Territoriality and control are integral to a discussion of Asian criminal actors. How successful have they been in resisting state law enforcement? What factors are responsible for such success, or lack thereof? To what degree are they patronized by elements of the policy establishment, either at the level of intelligence agencies, or senior military commanders, or civilian politicians?
What is the ethnic/regional recruitment base of the most prominent organized crime actors in each of the countries and blocs examined? To what extent have they diversified their investment portfolios?

The objective would be to trace the evolution of selected OCGs to the present-day ie., 2020, thereby helping readers understanding the trajectory of organized crime in Asia. ‘Continuity and change’ will be the catchphrase which shall guide authors as they describe how particular OCGs have adapted to political, economic and security changes in their respective operating environments.

Contributions are invited from academics, journalists and civil servants with knowledge of organized crime in any of the countries/blocs mentioned. For ASEAN, the issue aims to adopt a cross-regional approach, showing transnational connections between and within different OCGs. For China, Japan and India, contributors are encouraged to focus on case studies of OCGs within a specific locality or region, and explain their choice in terms of how it relates to wider trends in criminal economy.

Abstracts of prospective submissions (200-300 words) may be sent to the following address: prem.mahadevan@globalinitiative.net by 15 April 2020. Acceptance of an abstract is provisional upon subsequent timely submission of a draft manuscript, and the manuscript thereafter passing scholarly peer-review. Authors may be expected to make modifications based on reviewers’ comments.

The European Review of Organized Crime is an open-access journal which aims to raise policy and public awareness of threats posed by organized crime, not only in Europe but across the world. This special issue of the journal is being assembled under the aegis of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, an international civil society organization headquartered in Geneva.

Information about the journal and guidelines for authors may be found at: https://standinggroups.ecpr.eu/sgoc/eroc-journal/instructions-for-authors/