Abstract

Although smuggling is commonly assumed to happen in remote and difficult-to-access borderlands, in reality, smuggling is most prevalent in areas that states tightly control, including at formal border crossings. To understand this puzzle, this article explores the relationship between states and smugglers at international borders. Based on extensive empirical research in various borderlands in North Africa and Southeast Asia, it argues that different kinds of smugglers prefer different types of relationships with the state. The article outlines six ideal types of such relationships. It contends that these types of relationships are the dominant factor in how different smuggling networks choose routes along a border. The findings have implications for our understanding of smuggling and policies that aim at addressing smuggling, especially regarding the effects of border fortifications and corruption prevention.

摘要

尽管通常认为走私发生在偏远和难以进入的边境地区，但实际上，走私在国家严格控制的地区最为普遍，包括在正式的边境口岸。为了理解这个难题，本文探讨了国际边界上国家与走私者之间的关系。基于对北非和东南亚各个边境地区的广泛实证研究，该研究认为，不同类型的走私者更喜欢与国家建立不同类型的关系。本文概述了这种关系的六种理想类型。它认为，这些类型的关系是不同走私网络如何选择沿边界路线的主要因素。这些发现对我们对走私的理解和旨在解决走私的政策具有重要意义，