In an ideal world who should carry the can for wrongdoing business?

Purpose - This paper aims to analyze the main international rules against economic crime and to verify if Italian legislation provides for appropriate measures according to own needs at a national level. Design/methodology/approach - The research uses a comparative approach by examining the existing legislations on a global, European and Italian level for finding analogies and differences between them. Findings - The research has discovered a wide variation in the legislative interventions against economic crimes and in the kind of imposed sanctions. Nevertheless, there seems to be a trend toward penalties, with a high degree of uniformity between the different levels of protection. Research limitations/implications - This paper aims to maintain a common international level in fighting against economic crime and to enforce the effectiveness of national regulations. Practical implications - The achievement of a high level of protection, for public security and social cohesion to prevent and reduce economic crimes. Social implications - This paper ensures a high level of security for the general public by taking action against money laundering, cybercrimes and other sorts of misconduct, as well as by intensifying preventive action against all kinds of economic crime through an effective global cooperation. Originality/value - This is a fast-moving area of law, which continues to evolve for the variety of behaviors through which economic crime occurs, so different solutions to the problem can be found by national legislators who must be coordinated in a global context on the basis of an international standard of protection to which they more and more frequently have to conform their own rules.