Is it greed or need that causes crime in contemporary consumer societies? In five brilliant chapters world-leading criminologists Richard Rosenfeld and Steven F. Messner explore issues from market morality to welfare policies. With their trade-mark mastery of theoretical tools and empirical data they provide a stunning overview of ideas and research, and impress with fresh insights into a classical problem of criminology. This book will fascinate students as much as advanced researchers.<br /><b>Susanne Karstedt<br />Professor of Criminology, University of Leeds</b> <p></p> <p>The relationship between crime and the economy is surprisingly </p> <p>complex, frequently defying easy description. In this slim and highly readable volume Rosenfeld and Messner deftly lead us through these complexities, making a convincing argument that the strength of social institutions provides the key link between poor economic performance and rising crime rates.<br /><b>Gary LaFree<br />University of Maryland</b></p>