Economic Theory
Overview
At first, Karl Marx, in his labour theory of value, suggested that prices can deviate from their value for a while. Marxists also claim there is a connection between industrial workers and economic crises. Lack of solvent consumers and consumption can at times give rise to a financial crisis. Before consuming a commodity, a person has to pay for it, as business owners aim to make profits and this is their world. Employees in a company receive very little pay after product sales, and the crisis will reduce when their salaries are reasonable. Karl Marx claims that a crisis in the capitalist economy is due to the struggle of workers to improve their working conditions. Workers fighting separately within an organization or company may lead to adverse consequences. Industrial strikes due to salary increments cause prices of commodities to increase, thus making consumers pay an extra dollar for a purchase. Despite the adverse effects of the industrial strike, workers should always fight for their rights (Reid, 2015).
Strikes enact change, thus preventing crimes. The study of state crimes, their causes, and the identification of criminals under Soviet power involves criminal investigations, courts, and prosecutors’ offices. Employees and practitioners study various types of crime and criminals in institutions such as criminological rooms and clinics, and medical, judicial and correctional labor. Studies of crime and criminals are based on empirical, statistical, and clinical material. Scientific development of crime is over, and the department nature of the crime is minimal. A small portion of legal research institutions in the country recognize crime investigation and criminological problems begin in law schools. Karl Marx was a philosopher and an economist back in the 19th century (1818-1883). The subject of Marx’s study is the sphere of production, and he calls all economic relations productive. The methods of Marx are based on his theory of historical materialism, which is a set of social ties known as the social formation. Social links are determined through productive forces or technology development level, and politics and culture are superstructures on a basis. The nature of the economy is determined by technology, and the economy shapes all other social relations (Becker, 2017).
Review
Karl Marx’s theory on labour and economy is evident, as there are currently many strikes across the continent as workers demand better remuneration and other working conditions. The standard of living continues to increase, causing product prices to rise. As economic standards rise, employees should receive better salaries. Marx says that if organizations are on the same page with workers, a country will avert a financial crisis, which is true, as strikes deteriorate the economy. If workers strike, production of goods and services stops; every day a company is not running represents a loss for the government, employees, and business owners (Negishi, 2014). Technology boosts the economy as services offered are efficient, and new machines speed up the production process. Salaries and allowances are expenses for a company, and thus their increase leads to an increase in prices of commodities in the market. High product prices make some loyal customers shift to more affordable merchandise or services. Employees at times commit crimes during strikes like property destruction, and they should be educated about the consequences, according to Karl Marx. Criminals are taken to court for a hearing, and if found guilty by the judge during the trial, they pay fines or serve time in prison. Judges are well-educated in criminology, which makes them the best people to determine whether a person is guilty or innocent. Politics and culture can at times affect economic status negatively. A country with stable policies has a strong economy, which contributes to a rise in people’s living standards (Reid, 2015).
Part 2
How Economic Theory Impacts a Person’s Decision to Commit a Crime
People commit crimes due to issues they are experiencing in life which are affecting their lives negatively. When a person’s salary is low, for example, an accountant may try to falsify books of account to scoop some money for himself. He gets extra money on top of his salary to make ends meet, thus living a good life. He feels less guilty as he thinks he has a right to better conditions as an employee. Most companies hire external auditors who analyse the books of accounts, finding irregularities in the financial statements (Negishi, 2014). Through workers’ strikes, as Karl Marx indicates, embezzling is eradicated. Eventually, the accountant loses his job due to embezzlement and may receive a jail term or pay hefty fines. He shames his family and friends, which makes many people desert him in his hour of need. Embezzling company money makes other companies not trust a person, thus denying him a good position despite being highly qualified. A decision to steal a company’s money can lead to closure due to a shortage of funds to run daily operations and pay workers.
If prices of commodities increase, low-income-earning people fail to afford necessities, thus leading to an increase in shoplifting cases. If a person can’t provide for his needs, to him the only way he can survive is through stealing. The deterioration of the economy gives rise to many criminals, which gives business owners a hard time as gangs may rob their stores at any time. Some of these gangs own guns, and they will kill a person if he fails to meet their demands. In an unstable economy, homicide cases are numerous, which makes people migrate to other peaceful countries. Lack of money also causes people to rob people walking on the streets and inside banks. A criminal may at times die in a police shootout when he refuses to surrender, leading to loss of life.
Senior officials in government take advantage of economic crises to enrich themselves, thus making taxpayers’ money go to waste. In an emergency, developments are minimal as leaders only think of themselves. Economic downfall makes a currency lose its value, meaning an enormous amount of money purchases minimal goods and services. Government stability or decisions either contribute positively or negatively to the status of an economy. Countries that are always at war have weak economies. Leaders take citizens’ properties by force like Biafra in Nigeria. Politics can destabilize a country in a big way.
When an economy is miserable, a lot of people with false businesses come up to con money out of civilians’ pockets. Information technology professionals come up with programs to hack people’s bank accounts, thus taking their money. Cybercriminals also come up with virus programs which corrupt the data of prominent companies, thus leading to losses (Wortley & Townsley, 2016). Recently, cyber-attacks have increased, showing how people desperately need money to survive. Business con artists need cash to buy necessities and survive, thus taking advantage of desperate citizens without knowledge. Currently, job opportunities have decreased, making people come up with false vacancies. People give bribes to secure a job, feed their families and pay for daily expenses. Obtaining money from people is a job opportunity as the money pays for children’s fees, rent, and daily costs.
Nowadays, streets have many beggars (children and adults), and most of them pretend to have ailments, thus making people contribute money to them. Pretending to be ill makes them get a lot of money. Some parents push their kids to borrow money on the street just because they are unemployed. Civilians feel pity for both street children and sick people.
Effects of Criminal Behavior on Society
Criminals terrorize a community, and they make people live in fear. Crimes cause a society to have a lousy name, thus causing isolation from other people. Criminals bring tears to society as in the process they might get killed. A nation with offenders lacks leaders for tomorrow, especially if many criminals are children. Corrupt and selfish leaders who secure a prominent position in government and communities forget about their citizens thus leading to poverty in societies. Debt makes it difficult to get medication and food, thus leading to people’s deaths. Crimes make it difficult for people to establish businesses due to fear of being robbed, making the economic status of a community remain poor (Wortley & Townsley, 2016).
Recommendations
To reduce industrial strikes and crime, company managers need to listen to workers’ complaints by holding frequent meetings. Salaries should always be paid on time to prevent employees from becoming fed up and going on strike. Managers should establish good relations with workers to know their plans. A company should increase employees’ salaries as the standard of living rises. If company sales increase and the profit obtained is good, the company should reward its workers and hold parties to motivate them. An employer should offer a promotion to workers who have stayed with the company for a long time and have a good performance record. Political leaders should settle their differences in a harmonious way for a country’s sake. Leaders should do everything in their power to ensure that a country has peace and that its business environment is conducive. Entrepreneurs should come up with more companies to provide every job seeker with a position, thus reducing crime rates. Parents and society should bring up their children through religion to ensure that when life becomes difficult in the future, they stay on the right path. Trade unions should be established to fight for workers’ rights and prevent the exploitation of employees.
References
Becker, G. S. (2017). Economic theory. Routledge.
Negishi, T. (2014). History of economic theory (Vol. 26). Elsevier.
Reid, S. T. (2015). Crime and criminology. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.
Wortley, R., & Townsley, M. (Eds.). (2016). Environmental criminology and crime analysis (Vol. 18). Taylor & Francis.
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