Mafia families before WWII were largely independent and non-systematically linked

Evidence

The revelations in 1937 of a doctor, Melchiorre Allegra, although little known, are particularly interesting. The file came to light only in 1962, published by the Palermo daily L’Ora as part of an antimafia campaign. Allegra was disgruntled because he was not receiving protection in his practice from a mafia family in Palermo of which he was a member. His story broadly coincides with those of the pentiti in the 1980s. It is also dear that before the Second World War “families” were largely independent and maintained nonsystematic relationships. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 892

Categorization

• XREF: Supports the decentralized/private-protection structure Gambetta models; aligns with Milgrom’s finding that coordinated institutional enforcement came later than dispersed dyadic arrangements.