ESSAYS ON ORGANIZED CRIME, PERCEIVED INSECURITY, AND MOBILITY IN ITALY

THIS DISSERTATION INVESTIGATES THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF BOTH ORGANIZED AND NON-ORGANIZED CRIME IN ITALY THROUGH FOUR SELF-CONTAINED EMPIRICAL ESSAYS. THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF MAFIA-TYPE ORGANIZATIONS ON LOCAL ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE. CHAPTER 1 DEVELOPS A PROVINCIAL “MAFIA INDEX” TO QUANTIFY CRIMINAL INFILTRATION AND ESTIMATES ITS HETEROGENEOUS EFFECTS ON INNOVATION ACROSS ITALY. CHAPTER 2 ANALYZES THE LOCAL SPILLOVERS OF ANTI-MAFIA JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION, DOCUMENTING THE SHORT-TERM ECONOMIC COSTS OF INTERVENTIONS AIMED AT SEVERING CRIMINAL TIES WITHIN FIRMS. THE FINAL TWO CHAPTERS EXPLORE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRIME PERCEPTION, HOUSING MARKETS, AND RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY USING EUROPEAN UNION STATISTICS ON INCOME AND LIVING CONDITIONS (EU-SILC) MICRODATA. CHAPTER 3 FINDS THAT LOWER RENT LEVELS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER PERCEIVED INSECURITY, WHILE CHAPTER 4 SHOWS THAT LOW RENTS REDUCE HOUSEHOLDS’ LIKELIHOOD OF RELOCATING, POTENTIALLY REINFORCING SOCIO-ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY. OVERALL, THE DISSERTATION PROVIDES NEW QUANTITATIVE EVIDENCE ON HOW BOTH OBJECTIVE AND PERCEIVED CRIMINAL PHENOMENA SHAPE ITALY’S ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL FABRIC, OFFERING INSIGHTS RELEVANT TO PUBLIC POLICY, TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT, AND CRIME-PREVENTION STRATEGIES.