Abstract
What are the conditions conducive
to long-term transplantation of mafia groups in new territories? This paper
systematically reviews a number of factors that facilitate such an outcome,
including: migration from territories with high mafia density; the policy of
forcing criminals to resettle outside their region of origin; the existence of
mafia wars; two different systems of recruitment into mafia families (merit-
and kin-based recruitment); the level of interpersonal trust in the new
territory; and the demand for criminal protection. The paper then explores two
attempts at transplantation by members of the Calabria-based mafia group
`Ndrangheta to the town of Bardonecchia (Piedmont region) and to Verona (Veneto
region). While the former case was successful, the latter failed. The
paper concludes that features of the local economy – the presence of
significant sectors of the economy unprotected by the state and a local rather
than export orientation – generate a demand for criminal protection, especially
protection against competition, and a demand for services of dispute
settlement. Successful transplantation occurs in the presence of such a demand.
Generalized migration or forced resettlement of mafiosi are not sufficient to
predict transplantation. The paper shows that a high level of interpersonal
trust among local law-abiding residents is not sufficient to hinder mafia
transplantation, contrary to established theories of social capital and trust.