Efficiency of Gangs in El Salvador

• In Event: Roundtable: Gangs

Abstract

In recent years, scholarly and policy discussions concur that gangs in Central America and, particularly in El Salvador, have become increasingly sophisticated and more organized and, therefore, more difficult to combat them. These statements, however, are based on anecdotal evidence. One main feature of well organized and structured organizations is efficiency, whereby organizations maximize their production using the least possible amount of inputs. Successive governments in El Salvador devised policies to try to tackle this issue more effectively. The police, however, have not examined the efficiency of these groups as part of their intelligence and investigative work. This paper uses data collected by the National Police in El Salvador to examine the efficiency of the two more dominant gangs in El Salvador. Using a set of inputs and outputs produced by these gangs, preliminary findings suggest that these organizations are not efficient. Therefore, it could be argued that their level of organization is not conducive to be as efficient as other organized crime groups. From a police perspective, the fact that gangs are not efficient in their production suggests weaknesses in their level of organization. This could help police forces to combat them more effectively and more efficiently.

Author

• Erik Alda, American University