Mafia secrecy is a functional business resource, not a cultural code

Evidence

Against this view I argue that secrecy vis-à-vis the authorities is but one of several forms of secrecy, and perhaps not the most important one. Hand in hand with secrecy goes information, a fundamental aspect of the business which has hitherto been virtually ignored. Furthermore, secrecy and intelligence are not mythic cultural codes but necessary attributes if one is to trade in protection. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 93

Categorization

• XREF: Directly supports the reader’s scaffolding: information asymmetry and private protection markets as per Gambetta’s own model, ties to Milgrom’s private judges needing information about traders.