Ties to Trust: Patterns of Collaboration in 'Ndrangheta Clans

• In Event: WG Organized Crime and Criminal Networks Panel 5. Organized crime: organizational structure & violence

Abstract

Collaboration is a fundamental feature of crime that is defined as organized. Despite considerable research focusing on collaboration within organized crime groups in recent years, only a few studies have examined cooperation between members of different groups or clans of large criminal organizations. Collaboration facilitates coordination and resource acquisition, yet it is challenged by the inherent lack of trust characterizing the criminal environment. This study contributes to the literature by investigating dynamics of collaboration among members of different ‘Ndrangheta clans, known as locali. Specifically, it examines the factors that influence collaboration both within and among locali, emphasizing the role of kinship compared to the one of leadership and shared membership, proxies for the formal organizational structure. Data were collected from three major Italian law enforcement investigations targeting multiple ‘Ndrangheta locali and analyzed using network analysis methods. The findings suggest that while the formal hierarchy primarily drives collaboration across locali, kinship fosters cooperation within locali, also showing some indirect influences in inter-locali interactions.

Authors

• Caterina Paternoster, Università Bocconi

• Francesco Calderoni, Transcrime / Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan)