Legitimacy matters

Purpose – This paper aims to revisit paradigmatic depictions of organized criminal behavior. Unveiling shortcomings, it asks how contingent manifestations of organized crime can be better grasped by borrowing analytical tools from organizational scholarship. Design/methodology/approach – The potential for cross-disciplinary fertilization is showcased by reflecting recent transformations of Mexican organized crime. Over a year of close-proximity fieldwork, exclusive first-hand empirical data were gathered on Los Caballeros Templarios, one of Mexico’s principal criminal organizations. Interviews with its leaders were carried out and participant observation conducted amongst local communities. Findings – Criminal organizations have turned to the local to generate resources vital for their survival. Emerging as forces of alternative governance, the strategic use of organizational legitimacy has gained unprecedented prominence. It acts as an interface for reciprocal criminal-organization–environment influences. Largely neglected, it has driven the mutation of Mexican organized crime and the country’s armed conflict altogether. Research limitations/implications – The reported findings are of limited scope insofar as they are derived from in-depth data on a single case. Future research would ideally generate such data on further cases, enabling greater theorization qua cross-comparison. Originality/value – Informed by rare first-hand empirical data, this paper offers exclusive insights into the on-the-ground realities of Mexican organized crime and its role in the fragmentation of social order and governance. This is of interest for scholars, the wider public and policymakers alike. The innovative conceptual approach is easily replicable so as to support similar enquiries.