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Economic structure and vulnerability to organised crime: Evidence from Sicily

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  • Andrea Mario Lavezzi

Abstract

The economic analysis of organised crime suggests that some economic activities are particularly vulnerable to penetration by criminal organisations. This paper provides an analysis of the structure of the Sicilian economy and shows that, when compared with other Italian regions, it is characterised by a disproportionate presence of such activities. In particular, the economy of Sicily appears characterised by: (i) a large dimension of traditional sectors, such as the Construction sector, which also has a strong territorial specificity; (ii) a large presence of small firms; (iii) a low level of technology; (iii) a large public sector. The joint presence of these features creates fertile soil for the typical activities of organised crime, such as extortion and cartel enforcement. Hence, we propose an alternative explanation of the persistence of organised crime with respect to explanations based on cultural and social factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Mario Lavezzi, 2008. "Economic structure and vulnerability to organised crime: Evidence from Sicily," Global Crime, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(3), pages 198-220, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:fglcxx:v:9:y:2008:i:3:p:198-220
    DOI: 10.1080/17440570802254312
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    Cited by:

    1. Francesco Calderoni & Tommaso Comunale & Gian Maria Campedelli & Martina Marchesi & Deborah Manzi & Niccolò Frualdo, 2022. "Organized crime groups: A systematic review of individual‐level risk factors related to recruitment," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(1), March.
    2. Silvia Dal Bianco, 2009. "A Reassessment of Italian Regional Convergence through a Non-Parametric Approach," Quaderni di Dipartimento 099, University of Pavia, Department of Economics and Quantitative Methods.
    3. Marco Dugato & Francesco Calderoni & Gian Maria Campedelli, 2020. "Measuring Organised Crime Presence at the Municipal Level," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 237-261, January.
    4. Campana, Paolo & Giovannetti, Andrea, 2025. "The structure of cooperation among organized crime groups: A network study of Merseyside, UK," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    5. Michele Battisti & Andrea Mario Lavezzi & Lucio Masserini & Monica Pratesi, 2018. "Resisting the extortion racket: an empirical analysis," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 1-37, August.
    6. Tamara Fioroni & Andrea Mario Lavezzi & Giovanni Trovato, 2025. "Organized Crime, Corruption, and Economic Growth," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(2), pages 535-560, March.
    7. Francesca M. Calamunci & Livio Ferrante & Rossana Scebba, 2022. "Closed for mafia: Evidence from the removal of mafia firms on commercial property values," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(5), pages 1487-1511, November.
    8. Robert McLean & Grace Robinson & James Densley, 2018. "The Rise of Drug Dealing in the Life of the North American Street Gang," Societies, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-10, September.
    9. Balletta, Luigi & Lavezzi, Andrea Mario, 2023. "The economics of extortion: Theory and the case of the Sicilian Mafia," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(4), pages 1109-1141.
    10. Valeria Virginia Checchi & Michele Polo, 2020. "Blowing in the Wind: The Infiltration of Sicilian Mafia in the Wind Power Business," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 6(2), pages 325-353, July.
    11. Alfano, Maria Rosaria & Cantabene, Claudia & Silipo, Damiano Bruno, "undated". "Mafia Firms and Aftermaths," ETA: Economic Theory and Applications 294194, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    12. Gianmarco Daniele & Gemma Dipoppa, 2018. "Doing Business Below the Line: Screening, Mafias and Public Funds," BAFFI CAREFIN Working Papers 1898, BAFFI CAREFIN, Centre for Applied Research on International Markets Banking Finance and Regulation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    13. Ken Yahagi, 2018. "Welfare effects of forming a criminal organization," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 46(3), pages 359-375, December.
    14. Nicola Mastrorocco, 2018. "Organised Crime, Captured Politicians and the Allocation of Public Resources," Trinity Economics Papers tep1018, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics.
    15. Astarita, Caterina & Capuano, Carlo & Purificato, Francesco, 2018. "The macroeconomic impact of organised crime: A post-Keynesian analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 514-528.
    16. Áron Székely & Luis G. Nardin & Giulia Andrighetto, 2018. "Countering Protection Rackets Using Legal and Social Approaches: An Agent-Based Test," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2018, pages 1-16, December.
    17. Giovanni Bernardo & Irene Brunetti & Mehmet Pinar & Thanasis Stengos, 2021. "Measuring the presence of organized crime across Italian provinces: a sensitivity analysis," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 31-95, February.
    18. Luigi Balletta & Andrea Mario Lavezzi, 2019. "The Economics of Extortion: Theory and Evidence on the Sicilian Mafia," Discussion Papers 2019/242, Dipartimento di Economia e Management (DEM), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth

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