17128. Explaining White Collar Crime. This paper provides an overview and analysis of criminological theories which help to explain white collar crime. While the importance of both Sutherland’s theory of differential association and leftist Critical theory (and its indictment of U.S.-style capitalism) are acknowledged, it is argued that Rosenfeld & Messner’s update and expansion of Merton’s theory of social structure and anomie best explains white collar crime when one accounts for the offender and victim profiles, types of offenses, and the situational/contextual elements of white collar crime. KEYWORDS: criminological theory crime causation white collar crimes critical theory anomie. 10 pages; 19 footnotes; 6 bibliographic sources. 2,399 words.