Dissertation defence (International Business): KTM Emilia Isolauri

KTM Emilia Isolauri defends the dissertation in International Business titled “Invisible chains: Global institutions and international money laundering – The role of formal and informal institutions in mitigation and as enablers” at the University of Turku on 20 June 2024 at 12.00 (University of Turku, Turku School of Economics, LähiTapiola lecture hall, Rehtoripellonkatu 3, Turku).

The audience can participate in the defence by remote access. The link can be asked for by sending email to: emilia.a.isolauri@utu.fi. 

Opponent: Professor Rudolf Sinkovics (University of Glasgow, UK)
Custos: Professor Niina Nummela (University of Turku)

Doctoral Dissertation at UTUPub: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-29-9761-9 

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Summary of the Doctoral Dissertation:

International money laundering is a complex problem that cannot be completely solved but can be mitigated. It is important to examine this diverse phenomenon in the context of International Business as money laundering related processes often span across geographical borders.

The dissertation is built upon examining institutions, both formal and informal, and the influence they have on the occurrence and mitigation of international money laundering.

The dissertation presents a novel approach by emphasizing the grey area between illegal and legal business practices. It contributes to institutional, co-evolution and integrative social contracts theories by emphasising the influence of culture-specific values, norms and behaviours and their evolutionary nature as important factors in sustaining and mitigating money laundering.

As a policy implication, the dissertation suggests that policymakers and multinational companies should adopt a proactive approach in developing policies and internal practices to ensure effective mitigation of money laundering.

The dissertation concludes that the wicked problem of international money laundering must be addressed in a holistic manner, considering both formal and informal institutions and their influence on international money laundering, unethical business practices and their effective mitigation.