Organized crime, violence and support for the state

Gian Maria Campedelli, Gianmarco Daniele, Andrea Martinangeli and Paolo Pinotti

Journal of Public Economics, 2023, vol. 228, issue C

Abstract: Citizens’ support is crucial to effectively combat organized crime, a substantial threat to many countries. Contrary to prior studies identifying a negative correlation between crime and trust in the state, studying a representative sample of 5374 individuals in Italy we find that exposing the participants to journalistic images of organized crime-related violence increases trust towards institutions and state performance (measured by donations to a governmental as opposed to a non-governmental organization), perceived institutional quality, and trust in political institutions. This is remarkable considering that the participants are overly pessimistic about trends in violence: About two-thirds believe that mafia-related homicides and total homicides increased in Italy over the last two decades, and half believe that they increased by over 20%, while in reality both types of homicides declined by over 60%. These findings are relevant for governments and organizations interested in non-repressive methods to fight criminal organizations, as they underscore the potential impact of media narratives on shaping public attitudes toward crime and state authorities.

Keywords: Organized crime; Italy; Mafias; Social trust; Experiments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D70 D72 H3 O52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:228:y:2023:i:c:s0047272723002116

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.105029

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