ABSTRACT
Public debate and scientific research on organized crime have been heavily influenced by the image of ‘Mafia type’ organizations in Italy or the USA that have gained control of certain economic sectors or regions, thus acting like ‘alternative governments’ (for an overview, see Paoli2002). For a long time, organized crime has been portrayed as a bureaucracy with a pyramidal structure – a strict hierarchy, a clear division of tasks, and an internal sanctioning system (Cressey1969). In their control of certain regions or sectors of the economy, criminal organizations are assumed to make a profit through the use of corruption, violence and intimidation. Hence, organized crime reaps the fruits of its take-over of two traditional state monopolies: taxation and violence.
