What Makes Mafias Different?

Although organized crime is a fuzzy concept that has been defined in many different, and even contradictory ways, five (sets of) mafia organizations have for decades been considered the core of organized crime: the American Cosa Nostra, the Southern Italian Cosa Nostra and ’Ndrangheta, the Chinese triads and Japanese Yakuza. These mafia organizations —or mafias for short—share seven typifying characteristics that distinguish them from other organized crime actors: 1) longevity and thus roots in a pre-modern context and, with rare exceptions, male-only membership; 2) large size; 3) a formalized and complex internal structure; 4) an elaborate cultural apparatus meant to generate a life-long commitment, new identity and fictive kinship ties among their members; 5) multi-functionality; 6) the goal of political dominion and longstanding ability to provide governance services; 7) longstanding popular legitimacy and power-sharing agreements with local state authorities. The first and the last characteristics also point to the reasons for the mafias’ consolidation and persistence up to now: with the exception of the American Cosa Nostra, they have emerged in contexts of state weakness or even absence and have all profited from the willingness of state representatives to come to terms with their power. The reduced willingness of both state authorities and communities to accept mafias’ power— coupled with the premodern “ballast” in their structure and culture—also explains a further common trait: with the partial exception of the ’Ndrangheta, all mafias have experienced a considerable decline in recent decades.

Publication year:2020

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Authors from:Higher Education

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