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We need to redefine what it means to commit this sort of crime. The modern corporation is an expert in dodging responsibility. Upper management will make it ver
by wat10000 2y ago
We need to redefine what it means to commit this sort of crime. The modern corporation is an expert in dodging responsibility. Upper management will make it very clear that everyone is expected to follow the law at all times. Then they’ll set up incentives, requirements, and quotas that more or less require breaking the law to meet. When the inevitable occurs, they’ll wring their hand and say, we don’t condone that behavior.
The management chain needs to be held more responsible for actions at the bottom. That doesn’t mean we put them in jail for every misdeed by some front-line worker, but they shouldn’t be allowed to turn a blind eye to systematic lawbreaking.
- SpicyLemonZest 2y agoWage theft, like any other kind of theft, is a self-incentivizing crime. I agree people shouldn't be allowed to turn a blind eye to systematic lawbreaking, but no system of incentives can erase the fundamental accounting identity that a business unit will have more money if they pay workers less than promised.
- wat10000 2y agoIt’s easy to to erase that identity. You make the expected value of the punishment (cost multiplied by probability of getting caught) higher than the expected value of the crime. This should be easier to deal with than most crimes. The problem with individual crimes is that criminals are generally bad at thinking through the consequences. No matter how terrible the punishment is, you’re still going to have murders, because the typical murderer isn’t weighing the cost/benefit tradeoff. Companies are much better at this, especially big ones. Make wage theft unprofitable and it will drop dramatically.