Reputation earned in-house, not purchased, is what makes mafia succession possible

Evidence

In this business reputation is gained on the job. Occasionally it can be faked, but it cannot be bought. Any bidder whose reputation was such that a purchase could succeed would presumably be in a position to acquire the property without bothering to buy it: he could simply take over, challenging the boss and threatening to pay in lead rather than silver, the latter being interpreted as a sign of weakness. In addition, if the buyer’s reputation was better than that of the present boss, customers would be driven to him anyway. In either case it would be up to the challenged boss to decide whether to declare war or retire. “Takeovers” do happen, and are frequently hostile. The crucial difference between a prospective buyer and an appointed successor—the difference which makes succession possible—is that the latter earns his reputation by working his way up within the firm itself. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 159

Categorization

• XREF: The buyer-fails-because-reputation-can’t-be-bought principle parallels the diamond bourse finding that entry control substitutes for direct credit checks and must be earned relationally.