Hosting to skim: organized crime and the reception of asylum seekers in Italy

Davide Luca and Paola Proietti

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: The paper investigates the link between organized crime and Italy’s publicly funded asylum seekers’ reception facilities. We gather detailed municipal-level data on the location of mafia activities and Protection System for Asylum Seekers and Refugees (SPRAR)-type reception centres, and provide evidence of how the local presence of mafia increases the likelihood of hosting reception facilities. Statistical evidence and in-depth expert interviews suggest that organized crime correlates with less transparent tendering procedures in the set-up of such centres, while hosting activities increase after local governments are infiltrated by mafias. Overall, results underscore the importance of measures aimed at contrasting organized crime, especially at times of ‘crises’ when public policy is subject to ‘states of exception’.

Keywords: asylum seekers; mafia infiltration; organized crime; public procurement; reception centres (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D73 H57 K42 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 15 pages
Date: 2022-12-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-law, nep-mig and nep-ure
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Published in Regional Studies, 2, December, 2022, 56(12), pp. 2102 - 2116. ISSN: 0034-3404

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Journal Article: Hosting to skim: organized crime and the reception of asylum seekers in Italy (2022)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:115174

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