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xxiv Introduction origin. When people believe that product counterfeiting simply means a loss of revenue to the legitimate company, they are ignoring the potential health and safety risks that are associated with products that avoid inspection and regulation. This is especially worrisome in instances of fraudulent medicine, which can not only harm the individual taking the medicine but can potentially pose a broader public safety threat (UNODC 2010). In addition to those rather direct impacts of transnational crime, there are also some indirect consequences. Chief among those is the erosion of state control when organized crime groups undermine the authority and health of the official government (UNODC 2010). This happens primarily though corruption when the criminal networks are able to co-opt government (including elected) officials. The result is state organizations and institutions that operate to the advantage of crime groups rather than for the advancement of society. CONCLUSION Globalization, especially in terms of global production, global markets, and global communication, has clearly had a positive influence on developed and developing countries. Unfortunately, it is just as clear that globalization has also had a negative impact in terms of damage to the environment, increased economic inequality, and a growth in crime spreading across borders and throughout the world. The concept of transnational crime is generally used in reference to crime’s global occurrence, and the international community is increasingly looking for ways to cooperate in preventing and combatting the groups and networks engaged in these criminal activities. The entries in the two volumes of this encyclopedia are designed to inform the reader about the events, people, organizations, and key terms that are relevant to global crime and its transnational aspects. Philip L. Reichel Further Reading Albanese, Jay S. 2011. Transnational Crime and the 21st Century: Criminal Enterprise, Corruption, and Opportunity. New York: Oxford University Press. Gilman, Nils, Jesse Goldhammer, and Steven Weber. 2013. “Deviant Globalization.” In Convergence: Illicit Networks and National Security in the Age of Globalization, edited by Michael Miklaucic and Jacqueline Brewer, 3–13. Washington, D.C.: National Defense University Press. Gramlich, John. 2018. “5 Facts about Crime in the U.S.” Pew Research Center. Last modi- fied January 30, 2018. Accessed January 15, 2019. http://www.pewresearch.org​ /fact-tank/2018/01/30/5-facts-about-crime-in-the-u-s. INTERPOL. n.d. “Priorities: Strategic Framework 2017–2020.” Accessed October 31, 2018. https://www.interpol.int/About-INTERPOL/Priorities. Reichel, Philip L. 2018. Comparative Criminal Justice Systems: A Topical Approach. 7th ed. New York: Pearson. United Nations. 1990. Proposals for Concerted International Action against Forms of Crime Identified in the Milan Plan of Action, A/CONF.144/7. Vienna: UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch.