Sicilian Mafia

Diego Gambetta is Professor of Sociology at the University of Oxford and Official Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.

A remarkable theoretical achievement. Starting from what is apparently a most unpromising premise, that the workings of the Mafia can be understood within a rational choice framework, Gambetta repeatedly surprises us with his theoretical ingenuity… In a brief review, one cannot do justice to the complexity of the arguments in a book like Gambetta’s. Let it suffice to say I could not put it down and I estimate it will become a classic in the burgeoning literature upon the rational choice approach to sociological analysis.

• Introduction PART 1: THE INDUSTRY OF PREOTECTION 1. The market 2. The resources 3. The industry PART 2: THE INDUSTRY IN SICILY 4. The Origins 5. The Cartel 6. The Trademarks PART 3: PROTECTION IN PRACTICE 7. Dispute Settlement 8. Orderly Markets 9. Disordered Markets Conclusion Postscript Appendix A: Etymologies of Mafioso and Mafia Appendix B: Descriptions of the Mafia Ritual Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index