Mafiosi are entrepreneurs in protection, not in the goods they protect

Evidence

The first point it raises is the general economic position of the mafioso: his role is to protect either buyer or seller or both, independently of whether he is a horse dealer himself. He need not buy or sell horses, or if he does, it is not crucial to his role as mafioso, nor is it what he is paid for. Mafiosi may sometimes be dealers in a variety of commodities both legal and illegal—and for that matter they may also be doctors, politicians, or even priests—but this is not the differentia specifica separating mafiosi from ordinary entrepreneurs. Mafiosi are first and foremost entrepreneurs in one particular commodity—protection—and this is what distinguishes them from simple criminals, simple entrepreneurs, or criminal entrepreneurs. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 46

Categorization

• XREF: Directly parallels Gambetta’s core definitional move—matches the reader’s framing that the Mafia is a ‘third-party private enforcer’ industry rather than a criminal one.
• DEFINE: Establishes the differentia specifica: protection as the defining commodity of mafiosi, separating them from simple or criminal entrepreneurs.