What Makes Mafias Different?

Organized crime, a fuzzy concept, has been defined in many different, sometimes contradictory ways. Five sets of mafia organizations have for decades been considered the core of organized crime: the American Cosa Nostra, the Italian Cosa Nostra and ‘Ndrangheta, Chinese triads, and Japanese yakuza. These organizations—mafias for short—share seven typifying characteristics: longevity and thus premodern roots and, with rare exceptions, male-only membership; large size; a formalized and complex internal structure; an elaborate cultural apparatus meant to generate lifelong commitment, new identity, and fictive kinship ties; multifunctionality; the goal of political dominion and capacity to provide governance services; and long-standing popular legitimacy and power-sharing with local state authorities. The first and the last characteristics point to reasons for the mafias’ consolidation and persistence: except for the American Cosa Nostra, all emerged in contexts of state weakness or absence and benefited from willingness of state representatives to acknowledge their power. Reduced willingness of state authorities and communities to accept mafias’ power, coupled with premodern features of their structure and culture, explain a further common trait: with the partial exception of the ‘Ndrangheta, all have experienced considerable decline in recent decades.