Scoping literature review of crime in the AEC industry

The literature acknowledges criminal behavior in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry as a problem that needs addressing, but few comprehensive reviews of the research field exist to date. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the extent of research carried out in the field. The paper reports on a scoping literature review on crime in the AEC industry and explores how the literature covers crime in construction, and more specifically the topics of materials, organization, and health, safety, and environment (HSE). The results indicate that research in this area has only recently begun to take off. Characteristics of the AEC industry seem to facilitate the embedding of criminal actors, and in turn, activities leading to crime. The research topics are not covered evenly, and some, namely materials and HSE issues, are lagging behind. This study aids practitioners by highlighting the extent of these topics within the AEC industry. It also provides a number of departure points that can be used by academics for further research.