Criminal protection moved inland from the coast, not only cityward

Evidence

Contiguity does not necessarily imply that people moved only from the country to the cities in order to supply protection where profit opportunities were greater, as is often maintained (see, e.g., Ciuni 1977). Some observers have suggested the opposite, claiming that criminal associations spread from the coast inland (Alongi 1977; Lupo 1988: 474). — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 871

Categorization

• QUESTION: What distinguishes coast-inland from country-city movement, and which direction really drove the mafia’s spread?