Organized Crime, Violence and the Quality of Politicians : Evidence from Southern Italy

I examine the relationship between organized crime, violence and the quality of the political class in Italy. I show that mafia-affected regions exhibit abnormal spikes in the homicide rate during the electoral periods, relative to other regions. Greater violence before the elections is in turn associated with a lower quality of the political class, as reflected in the human capital of the appointed politicians and the probability that they are subsequently involved in scandals. I interpret these findings in light of previous theoretical models of politicians' capture by criminal organizations