The Treadmill of Production and the Treadmill of Law: Propositions for Analyzing Law, Ecological Disorganization and Crime

Michael J. Lynch, Paul Stretesky, Michael A. Long

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    27 Citations (Scopus)
    100 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Treadmill of production (ToP) arguments have significant implications for the study of environmental crime. A current limitation of those arguments involves their application to environmental law and its enforcement. We argue that a treadmill of law (ToL) shapes and maintains production through lawmaking and enforcement practices, issues that have yet to receive significant attention in the ToP literature. To illustrate the connection between the ToL and ToP and to facilitate political economic analysis of this connection, we make and discuss three propositions. In particular, we suggest that the ToL will (1) oppose the enhancement of environmental regulation through acts of state corporate crime, if necessary; (2) fail to enforce criminal laws in ways that would alter production practices; and (3) define intense opposition to ToP interests and actors as criminal.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)107-122
    JournalCapitalism Nature Socialism
    Volume31
    Issue number1
    Early online date20 Nov 2018
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2 Jan 2020

    Keywords

    • Ecological justice
    • green criminology
    • critical criminology
    • capitalism and law
    • political ecology

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