Free riders: the economics and organization of outlaw motorcycle gangs

Ennio Emanuele Piano ()

Public Choice, 2017, vol. 171, issue 3, No 3, 283-301

Abstract: Abstract This paper investigates the organizational structure of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, one of the largest and best known North American motorcycle gangs. Within the first few decades since their establishment, the Angels developed a hierarchical organizational form, which allowed them to overcome internal conflict and exploit the gains from their involvement in criminal activities. This organizational form, I argue, played a central role in the rapid success of the Angels in the North American (and international) criminal landscape.

Keywords: Outlaw motorcycle gangs; Hells Angels; Organized crime (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11127-017-0437-9

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