Answer :
Final answer:
White-collar crime, coined by Edwin Sutherland in 1939, refers to nonviolent crimes for financial gain committed by high social status individuals. It has significantly contributed to economic crises since 1998 and includes fraud, insider trading, and embezzlement, with lighter prosecutions compared to blue-collar crimes.
Explanation:
Through research, criminologists have identified that a significant majority of economic crises from 1998 to the present have been due to white-collar crime. This form of crime, historically explored by sociologist Edwin Sutherland in 1939, involves offences committed by individuals in respectable, high social status positions during their professional activities. Such crimes include fraud, insider trading, embezzlement, and other nonviolent crimes aimed at illegal monetary gain. Unlike blue-collar crimes, they are characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust, and are often not as heavily prosecuted due to their nature and the socio-economic status of the offenders.