Characteristics of white-collar criminals: a Norwegian study

Purpose - This article aims to address the research question: " What are the characteristics of white-collar criminals in Norway?". Design/methodology/approach - The research is based on data from articles in Norwegian financial newspapers for one year where a total of 67 white-collar criminals convicted to jail sentence were identified. The sample is analysed and presented in comparison with US literature especially on characteristics of white-collar criminals, which is believed to be both general and limited. Findings - The paper's contribution is important, as studies of white-collar criminals so far have focused on case studies rather than statistical analysis of a larger sample. The paper finds that the typically white-collar criminal is male, 46 years old, involved with first time crime of the amount of 30 million US dollars and convicted to three years of imprisonment. As a contradiction to previous literature on white-collar crime, the paper also finds that they are not part of the upper-class and highly educated. On the contrary, even though mostly being leaders, they are not highly educated, but have a position that gives them access to money. Consequently, the paper also finds that manipulation and fraud is the most common form of white-collar crime in Norway. Originality/value - The results are in opposition to existing literature and offer a fresh perspective on the characteristics of white- collar criminals in Norway.