Organized crime affects the socio-economic development of the areas in which it is rooted through several channels. However, analysing these effects is difficult, largely because it is extremely hard to observe and thus confidently measure the extent of mafia presence in a given area. On the basis of the most recent economic literature and with the aid of new information sources, this paper (i) analyses the spread of organized crime in Italy; (ii) describes the institutional environment that may have favoured the birth of mafias and their subsequent spread beyond traditional borders; (iii) examines the impact on economic growth and the different channels through which these effects occur.

有组织犯罪通过多种渠道影响其所在地区的社会经济发展。然而，分析这些影响很困难，主要是因为很难观察并因此自信地衡量特定地区黑手党的存在程度。本文以最新的经济文献为基础，借助新的信息来源，（i）分析了意大利有组织犯罪的蔓延情况；( ii ) 描述可能有利于黑手党诞生及其随后蔓延到传统边界之外的制度环境；( iii ) 考察对经济增长的影响以及这些影响发生的不同渠道。