The New Geography of Mafia Activity. The Case of a Northern Italian Region

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2236045
AutoresFrancesco Niccolò Moro (0000-0001-7656-5153, University of Bologna, autor de correspondencia), Matteo Villa (0000-0001-6456-9501, University of Milan)
Año2016
Páginasjcw046
Fecha de publicación2016-12-26
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEuropean Sociological Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0266-7215 • E-ISSN: 1468-2672
EditorialOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/esr/jcw046
OpenAlexW2567035608
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas40

Mafias move across territories. Recent research identifies push and pull factors that can explain mafia movement, but systematic empirical testing of the structural determinants of mafia activity in non-traditional territories is still lacking. By using new data on > 1,500 municipalities of a Northern Italian region, coupled with recently developed statistical techniques, this study looks at how social, economic, and political factors contribute to explaining the presence of mafias in a given area of a non-traditional region. The study finds that the presence of business sectors with low entry barriers significantly increases the probability of mafia activity, and that low levels of civic culture constitute facilitating conditions as well. Moreover, findings show that geography is important, and suggest that spatial spillover mechanisms are at work.

Economic geography · Economics · Economy · Geography · Political science · Politics · Regional science · Spillover effect · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Gambling Behavior and Treatments · Law · Wine Industry and Tourism