A regent appointment functions as a loan of protection assets by rich families

Evidence

A second solution, adopted with varying degrees of success, was to name a reggente (regent), or rather two. In economic terms, the appointment of a reggente can be seen as the loan of a protection asset. The lender is the commissione, composed of a coalition of families rich enough in protection assets to have some to spare. The borrower—the reggente—holds the family together until a new boss capable of investing his own assets can be found and elected. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 295

Categorization

• XREF: Directly maps the Gambetta ‘protection asset’ vocabulary onto Milgrom et al.’s private-judge model and Schelling’s credible commitment — the commissione is a lender of credibility. — connects to: A ruler’s security apparatus can be self-financing through off-budget funds — Charles Tilly, Regimes and Repertoires, 62