Dominique Boels

• Master Criminology, Psychology
• PostDoc Position at Ghent University

The method and results of a scoping review, based on the principles of a systematic literature review, on police accountability are presented with the aim of providing an overview of the characteristics of empirical research on the topic and the main themes covered in this research tradition. To our knowledge, no systematically conducted review has...

This second empirical chapter reports on the case study of street selling in Brussels. In line with de Bruin and Dupuis (2000), Smart (1986) and Witkowski (1993), the fieldwork has been conducted in two formal open-air markets (one private and one public) and the surrounding sales venues. The results of this case study are based on 41 semi-structur...

The aim of this chapter is to introduce the concept of the informal economy, and its manifestation in Western Europe. Therefore, I start by discussing the most influential definitions and taxonomies of the informal economy. This overview is far from exhaustive and does not cover definitions of related terms such as informal employment, informal wor...

This chapter reports on the case study of seasonal work in fruit-growing in the southern part of the province of Limburg. The results of this case are based on a combination of semi-structured interviews, document analyses and case file analysis. In total, 58 semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 87 respondents between the sprin...

This last empirical chapter reports on the case of prostitution in Ghent. The results of this case are based on 38 semi-structured interviews conducted between the summer of 2013 and the winter of 2013–2014, document analyses and case file analyses. In line with previous research (see Chap. 2), interviews were conducted with both prostitutes (22 in...

Now that the empirical findings have been presented in the three preceding chapters, this chapter brings some of the most relevant ones together in order to make statements about the regulation and the nature of the informal economy. It begins by discussing the usefulness of responsive regulation theory for regulating the informal economy. Subseque...

A scoping review is a method which is often applied in the systematic review arena. Its aim is to map existing literature in a specific area. Carrying out a scoping review entails dealing with a number of methodological questions that arise during the review. In this paper, we go into the way in which these issues were contemplated upon and dealt w...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the systematic review on the topic of plural policing. The authors aim to discuss the general characteristics of empirical research into plural policing and describe the way in which police literature deals with the questions related to plural policing. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic...

Red-light districts (RLD's) are still assumed to be associated with nuisance, deterioration and criminality. However, little empirical research deals with the experienced impacts of RLD's on the local neighbourhood. This paper adds to this skinny body of literature, by investigating residents' perceptions on the impact of window prostitution in a R...

Los van morele opvattingen rond prostitutie, toont wetenschappelijk onderzoek aan dat prostitutie soms verweven is met criminaliteit. In het geval van uitbuiting en mensenhandel wordt vaak de link gelegd met georganiseerde criminaliteit: criminele organisaties, groepen of netwerken worden verondersteld de handel in vrouwen te organiseren. In deze b...

Recently, the use of systematic reviews has undergone an important growth. Systematic reviews add to academic knowledge through the systematic and thorough gathering of empirical research results on the basis of specific research questions, departing from a body of knowledge an literature on a certain topic. In this paper, we present the results of...

Research on modern red-light districts is centered largely on street prostitution zones. Missing from most of the literature are studies that examine red-light districts consisting of clusters of visible indoor businesses that are legal and regulated by the authorities. This paper examines this kind of zone in Ghent, Belgium. A variety of data is u...

Research on modern red-light districts is centered largely on street prostitution zones. Missing from most of the literature are studies that examine red-light districts consisting of clusters of visible indoor businesses that are legal and regulated by the authorities. This paper examines this kind of zone in Ghent, Belgium. A variety of data is u...

Purpose: to gain insight into the organisation of informal street selling in the capital of Belgium, its association with formal and illegal selling and the perceptions, choices and decisions of the sellers. Design/methodology/approach: a qualitative approach (case study) was employed, including interviews, observations and document analyses. Findi...

In the past ten years, research has revealed the universal character of the informal economy in a variety of settings (Portes & Haller, 2005), an increase in informal employment in most parts of the world and its important role as a source of income (Coletto, 2010). This finding has led to a revival of research on the informal economy and a reappea...

An extensive body of literature exists on sex work and prostitution, covering a variety of topics. The relation between prostitution and the informal economy, however, has not been widely studied. This article aims to contribute to this under-researched domain. Furthermore, it empirically contributes to the current topical policy debate on prostitu...

In this chapter we shall focus on research into the informal economy that was carried outin Europe. First, however, we shall discuss the diversity of definitions used by researchers. Different disciplines are engaged in the study of the informal economy, leading to divergent opinions on how to study this domain, how to interpret and define the conc...