Date: 2016
Type: Article
The politics of mafia violence : explaining variation in mafia killings in Southern Italy (1983-2008)
Terrorism and political violence, 2016, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 90-113
MORO, Francesco Niccolò, PETRELLA, Andrea, SBERNA, Salvatore, The politics of mafia violence : explaining variation in mafia killings in Southern Italy (1983-2008), Terrorism and political violence, 2016, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 90-113
- https://hdl.handle.net/1814/61541
Retrieved from Cadmus, EUI Research Repository
Violence perpetrated by organized crime nowadays represents a major threat to state stability, both because it directly challenges political institutions, targeting officials and using terrorist techniques, and because severe inter-group conflict strongly affects human security. Though it is a distinctive feature of illegal markets and a constant strategy of Mafia-like groups, the occurrence of violence is localized in time and space. The article aims to explain temporal and spatial variation in Mafia killings focusing on its political determinants, as organized crime is deeply embedded in the political system. The analysis shows that there is a clear link between the structure of the political markets and the severity of violence. In particular, the fragmentation of the political market is negatively associated with the strategy of criminal groups to exploit violence. By contrast, single-party dominance and bipartisanship lead to an increase in homicides since these organizations have few opportunities to access the political arena. Outcomes are assessed through the analysis of monthly homicides reported by police forces in Italian provinces from 1983 to 2008.
Cadmus permanent link: https://hdl.handle.net/1814/61541
Full-text via DOI: 10.1080/09546553.2014.880835
ISSN: 0954-6553; 1556-1836
Publisher: Routledge
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