Transferring Violence? Mafia Killings in Nontraditional Areas

Evidence from Italy

Bibliographic Data

ID6283797
AuthorsFrancesco Niccolò Moro (0000-0001-7656-5153, University of Bologna, corresponding author), Salvatore Sberna (Scuola Normale Superiore)
Year2018
Volume62
Issue7
Pages1579-1601
Publication date2018-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Conflict Resolution (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-0027 • E-ISSN: 1552-8766
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0022002717693049
OpenAlexW2590127130
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited33

Violence is a key means used by organized crime to assert its control over territory and business. A widespread view is that violence is bound to take place also in the new territories where mafia groups migrate. In this article, we maintain that this view overlooks two important factors. First, criminal organizations acting in nontraditional areas face a structure of constraints and opportunities that do not generally favor the adoption of violence as a successful organizational strategy. Second, we show that violence, when it takes place, results from the transfer of conflicts that have their roots in the territories of origin of criminal groups. Local conditions play a mediating role in shaping violence in the new territories. We provide empirical support for these statements through the quantitative analysis of the violence perpetrated by mafia groups in Italy in the period between 1983 and 2013

Criminology · Political science · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence