High-profile mafia murders. Understanding targeted assassinations carried out by organized crime in Italy

Homicides of politicians, prosecutors and judges perpetrated by Mafiosi often make the media headlines, but they are rarely considered in the social science literature. This essay focuses on the three most prominent mafia groups in Italy – i.e., Cosa Nostra, Camorra and ‘Ndrangheta – and investigates the rationale(s) underpinning their use of high-profile homicides. The chapter critically reviews the major theories that can explain the use of violence in organized crime, adapting them to the study of high-profile homicides, and focusing on four dimensions: (a) the criminal groups’ organizational features, (b) the type of markets penetrated by mafia groups, (c) the structure of political opportunities, and (d) the law enforcement strategies of the state. Through the empirical analysis of an original dataset of mafia homicides carried out since the late 19th Century in Italy, the essay demonstrates that only groups with higher levels of coordination have the capacity to seriously challenge the national government, and engage in high-profile murders. The chapter finally provides preliminary evidence that the structure of economic and political opportunities available to mafia organizations and the choices made by governments to adopt repressive strategies vis-à-vis more appeasing ones are also important to understand mafias’ strategies.