Organized Crime and Violence Lecture Notes

Flashcards based on Lecture 11, 12, and 13 notes regarding types of violence, commitment problems, criminal governance, and crime-state arrangements.

Disciplinary violence

How organization control is exercised by leaders using violence against subordinates for punishment or preventative reasons.

Punishment (Disciplinary violence)

Violence used when a member steals, fails to fulfill their role, or shares information with outsiders.

Preventative (Disciplinary violence)

The elimination of a member before they become a threat or liability because they know too much.

Violence as a costly signal

A concept where violence conveys authority, dominance, or respectability but carries a high price due to high risks.

First-strike advantage

A commitment problem where hitting the rival first provides a major advantage.

Shifting power

A commitment problem where it is deemed better to fight now rather than negotiate from a weaker position later.

Strategic turf

A commitment problem where giving up territory or a market provides a rival with greater future power.

Issue indivisibility

When disputes, such as those over territory, cannot be easily split or compromised.

Institutions of protection

The key variable in determining why some illegal markets are more violent than others, based on stable arrangements between state officials and organized crime.

Criminal governance

The imposition of rules or restrictions on behavior by organized crime groups affecting members, other criminal actors, and civilians.

Reduce police exposure

A reason to govern civilians where fewer crimes mean fewer reasons for residents to call the police.

Protect profits

A reason to govern where customers need to feel safe and loyal residents hide members during raids.

Political leverage

Gaining political influence by governing and meeting the needs of a constituency that can then be mobilized.

Legitimacy

A reason for governance where organized crime groups express a genuine sense of duty to the community.

Policing (Criminal governance)

A governing function involving prohibiting theft, regulating violence, and banning sexual harassment.

Judicial (Criminal governance)

A governing function involving resolving disputes, enforcing contracts, and punishing infractions.

Fiscal (Criminal governance)

A governing function involving taxing businesses and residents to provide public goods and welfare.

Symbiosis

A relationship of mutual dependence between criminal governance and the state without coordination.

Fragmentation

The level of competition for control; higher fragmentation (more people competing) leads to higher violence.

Confrontation

A crime-state arrangement where organized crime targets state agents and the state responds with force.

Enforcement-evasion

A crime-state arrangement using selective violence and bribes to avoid detection, investigation, and arrest.

Alliance

A crime-state arrangement involving tactical or formal agreements between separate entities.

Integration

A crime-state arrangement where organized crime is in the state via corruption or elections.