IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ebl/ecbull/eb-17-00361.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How to detect illegal waste shipments? The case of the international trade in polyethylene waste

Author

Listed:
  • Rosanna Pittiglio

    (University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli")

  • Filippo Reganati

    (Rome - Sapienza University)

  • Luca Toschi

    (Rome - Sapienza University)

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to provide a methodological framework that is able to enhance our capability to detect illegal waste shipment with particular reference to waste plastics. Based on a very large cross-sectional dataset covering 187 countries over the period 2002-2012, our study aims to do this by using both the mirror statistics method and the network analysis. Specifically, by using mirror statistics, we identify the existence of a set of “suspicious†trade relations between pairs of countries. Then, we employ social network analysis in order to define the position of each country in this illegal trade structure, and to have a clear exposition of the connections between them. Our main findings reveal the central positions of the USA, Germany and the UK as sources and China and Malaysia as outlets of illegal shipments of waste plastics. Moreover, our methodology allows us to highlight the presence of other countries, which carry out an intermediary role within the global trade network, and to detect the changes in traditional illegal shipment routes. Therefore, this paper shows how social network analysis provides a useful instrument by means of which crime analysts and police detectives can develop effective strategies to interdict criminal activities.

Suggested Citation

  • Rosanna Pittiglio & Filippo Reganati & Luca Toschi, 2017. "How to detect illegal waste shipments? The case of the international trade in polyethylene waste," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 37(4), pages 2625-2640.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-17-00361
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2017/Volume37/EB-17-V37-I4-P236.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fagiolo, Giorgio & Reyes, Javier & Schiavo, Stefano, 2008. "On the topological properties of the world trade web: A weighted network analysis," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 387(15), pages 3868-3873.
    2. D. Garlaschelli & T. Di Matteo & T. Aste & G. Caldarelli & M. I. Loffredo, 2007. "Interplay between topology and dynamics in the World Trade Web," Papers physics/0701030, arXiv.org.
    3. Vladimir Gligorov & Mario Holzner, 2004. "Illegal Trade in South East Europe," wiiw Balkan Observatory Working Papers 61, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    4. Céline Carrère & Christopher Grigoriou, 2014. "Can Mirror Data Help To Capture Informal International Trade?," UNCTAD Blue Series Papers 65, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    5. K. Bhattacharya & G. Mukherjee & J. Saramaki & K. Kaski & S. S. Manna, 2007. "The International Trade Network: weighted network analysis and modelling," Papers 0707.4343, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2008.
    6. Raymond Fisman & Shang-Jin Wei, 2004. "Tax Rates and Tax Evasion: Evidence from "Missing Imports" in China," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 112(2), pages 471-500, April.
    7. Luca De Benedictis & Lucia Tajoli, 2011. "The World Trade Network," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(8), pages 1417-1454, August.
    8. D. Garlaschelli & T. Di Matteo & T. Aste & G. Caldarelli & M. I. Loffredo, 2007. "Interplay between topology and dynamics in the World Trade Web," The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Springer;EDP Sciences, vol. 57(2), pages 159-164, May.
    9. Higashida, Keisaku & Managi, Shunsuke, 2014. "Determinants of trade in recyclable wastes: evidence from commodity-based trade of waste and scrap," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(2), pages 250-270, April.
    10. De Benedictis Luca & Nenci Silvia & Santoni Gianluca & Tajoli Lucia & Vicarelli Claudio, 2014. "Network Analysis of World Trade using the BACI-CEPII Dataset," Global Economy Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 14(3-4), pages 1-57, October.
    11. Mishra, Prachi & Subramanian, Arvind & Topalova, Petia, 2008. "Tariffs, enforcement, and customs evasion: Evidence from India," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(10-11), pages 1907-1925, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Carmen Callao & M. Pilar Latorre & Margarita Martinez-Núñez, 2021. "Understanding Hazardous Waste Exports for Disposal in Europe: A Contribution to Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-14, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Paolo Bartesaghi & Gian Paolo Clemente & Rosanna Grassi, 2020. "Community structure in the World Trade Network based on communicability distances," Papers 2001.06356, arXiv.org, revised Jul 2020.
    2. Marco Dueñas & Giorgio Fagiolo, 2014. "Global Trade Imbalances: A Network Approach," Advances in Complex Systems (ACS), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 17(03n04), pages 1-29.
    3. Marco Dueñas & Giorgio Fagiolo, 2013. "Modeling the International-Trade Network: a gravity approach," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 8(1), pages 155-178, April.
    4. Rosanna Grassi & Paolo Bartesaghi & Stefano Benati & Gian Paolo Clemente, 2021. "Multi-Attribute Community Detection in International Trade Network," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 707-733, September.
    5. Xinxin Xu & Sheng Ma & Ziqiang Zeng, 2019. "Complex network analysis of bilateral international investment under de-globalization: Structural properties and evolution," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-16, April.
    6. Giorgio Fagiolo & Tiziano Squartini & Diego Garlaschelli, 2013. "Null models of economic networks: the case of the world trade web," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 8(1), pages 75-107, April.
    7. Xu, Helian & Cheng, Long, 2019. "The study of the influence of common humanistic relations on international services trade-from the perspective of multi-networks," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 523(C), pages 642-651.
    8. Barigozzi, Matteo & Fagiolo, Giorgio & Mangioni, Giuseppe, 2011. "Identifying the community structure of the international-trade multi-network," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 390(11), pages 2051-2066.
    9. Assaf Almog & Rhys Bird & Diego Garlaschelli, 2015. "Enhanced Gravity Model of trade: reconciling macroeconomic and network models," Papers 1506.00348, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2019.
    10. Song, Dong-Ming & Jiang, Zhi-Qiang & Zhou, Wei-Xing, 2009. "Statistical properties of world investment networks," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 388(12), pages 2450-2460.
    11. Julian Maluck & Reik V Donner, 2015. "A Network of Networks Perspective on Global Trade," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(7), pages 1-24, July.
    12. Paolo Bartesaghi & Gian Paolo Clemente & Rosanna Grassi, 2022. "Community structure in the World Trade Network based on communicability distances," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 17(2), pages 405-441, April.
    13. Cyril Chalendard, 2015. "Use of internal information, external information acquisition and customs underreporting," Working Papers halshs-01179445, HAL.
    14. Bob Rijkers & Leila Baghdadi & Gael Raballand, 2017. "Political Connections and Tariff Evasion Evidence from Tunisia," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 31(2), pages 459-482.
    15. Jiang, Zhi-Qiang & Zhou, Wei-Xing, 2010. "Complex stock trading network among investors," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 389(21), pages 4929-4941.
    16. Mohammad Farhad & Michael Jetter & Abu Siddique & Andrew Williams, 2018. "Misreported Trade," CESifo Working Paper Series 7150, CESifo.
    17. Xiaojin Yuan & Chunbao Ge & Yapan Liu & Na Li & Ying Wang, 2022. "Evolution of Global Crude Oil Trade Network Structure and Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-21, December.
    18. Luca De Benedictis & Silvia Nenci & Gianluca Santoni & Lucia Tajoli & Claudio Vicarelli, 2014. "Network Analysis of World Trade using the BACI-CEPII Dataset," Global Economy Journal (GEJ), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 14(03n04), pages 287-343, October.
    19. Wen-Jie Xie & Na Wei & Wei-Xing Zhou, 2020. "Evolving efficiency and robustness of global oil trade networks," Papers 2004.05325, arXiv.org.
    20. Peyton Michael Ferrier, 2021. "Detecting origin fraud with trade data: the case of U.S. honey imports," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 65(1), pages 222-245, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Waste plastics; illegal trade; network analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-17-00361. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: John P. Conley (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.