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Gulags, crime, and elite violence: Origins and consequences of the Russian mafia

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  • Lonsky, Jakub

Abstract

This paper studies the origins and consequences of the Russian mafia (vory-v-zakone). Using a unique web scraped dataset containing detailed biographies of more than 5,000 mafia leaders, I first show that the Russian mafia originated in the Soviet Gulag, and could be found near the camps’ initial locations throughout the 1990s Russia. Then, using an instrumental variable approach that exploits the proximity of the Russian mafia to the camps, I show that Russian communities with mafia presence in the 1990s experienced a dramatic rise in crime driven by elite violence which erupted shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The surge in violence was indiscriminate with respect to the victim type. Furthermore, the effect of mafia presence on elite violence was smaller in places where either all or none of the vory were ethnic Russians, suggesting some degree of ethnic conflict within the criminal organization itself.

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  • Lonsky, Jakub, 2025. "Gulags, crime, and elite violence: Origins and consequences of the Russian mafia," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:246:y:2025:i:c:s0047272725000593
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2025.105361
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    JEL classification:

    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • P26 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Property Rights
    • P37 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Legal

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