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Illegal waste disposal in the time of the mafia: a tale of enforcement and social well being

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  • Alessio D'Amato
  • Mariangela Zoli

Abstract

The current waste crisis in Italy is the most recent evidence that criminal organisations can impact waste management heavily. Nonetheless, this aspect has been neglected by current literature. We take the first step in filling this gap by developing a model which allows for the presence of a criminal organisation which extorts (socially costly) rent from agents willing to perform illegal disposal. In a setting where the public authority acts as a Stackelberg leader with respect to the mafia, we assume, coherently through real life observation, that enforcement efforts can only hit the criminal organisation: agents are therefore subject to indirect enforcement via the mafia extortion. Our main conclusion suggests that the presence of the mafia can lead to an increase in the level of economic activity and to less enforcement; under certain conditions, the related benefits can offset the damages from increases in illegal disposal and the social costs of the mafia's rent. These results provide a possible theoretical rationale for authorities' tolerance of the mafia in the waste cycle, and contribute to the explanation of some surprising stylised facts in the Italian case.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessio D'Amato & Mariangela Zoli, 2012. "Illegal waste disposal in the time of the mafia: a tale of enforcement and social well being," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(5), pages 637-655, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jenpmg:v:55:y:2012:i:5:p:637-655
    DOI: 10.1080/09640568.2011.620324
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    Cited by:

    1. Xu, Helian & Feng, Lianyue & Wu, Gang & Zhang, Qi, 2021. "Evolution of structural properties and its determinants of global waste paper trade network based on temporal exponential random graph models," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    2. Kinokuni, Hiroshi & Ohori, Shuichi & Tomoda, Yasunobu, 2021. "Advance disposal fee vs. disposal fee: A monopolistic producer’s durability choice model," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    3. A. Antoci & S. Borghesi & G. Iannucci, 2016. "Green licenses and environmental corruption: a random matching model," Working Paper CRENoS 201615, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    4. Carlo Reggiani & Francesco Silvestri, 2018. "Municipal Solid Waste, Market Competition and the EU Policy," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 71(2), pages 457-474, October.
    5. Barbara ANTONIOLI & Antonio MASSARUTTO, 2012. "The Municipal Waste Management Sector In Europe: Shifting Boundaries Between Public Service And The Market," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 83(4), pages 505-532, December.
    6. D’Amato, Alessio & Mazzanti, Massimiliano & Nicolli, Francesco, 2015. "Waste and organized crime in regional environments," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 185-201.
    7. Ljiljana Rodić & David C. Wilson, 2017. "Resolving Governance Issues to Achieve Priority Sustainable Development Goals Related to Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-18, March.
    8. Angelo Antoci & Simone Borghesi & Gianluca Iannucci, 2021. "(Dis)honest bureaucrats and (non)compliant firms in an evolutionary game," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(2), pages 321-344, May.
    9. Francesco Silvestri, 2019. "Direct and indirect effects of EU Self Sufficiency Principle on Municipal Waste Management: A theoretical approach," ECONOMIA PUBBLICA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2019(1), pages 89-98.
    10. Alessio D'Amato & Massimiliano Mazzanti & Francesco Nicolli & Mariangela Zoli, 2014. "Illegal Waste Disposal, Territorial Enforcement and Policy. Evidence from regional data," SEEDS Working Papers 0314, SEEDS, Sustainability Environmental Economics and Dynamics Studies, revised Feb 2014.
    11. D'Amato, Alessio & Mazzanti, Massimiliano & Nicolli, Francesco & Zoli, Mariangela, 2018. "Illegal waste disposal: Enforcement actions and decentralized environmental policy," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 56-65.
    12. Berardino Cesi & Alessio D’Amato & Mariangela Zoli, 2019. "Corruption in environmental policy: the case of waste," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 36(1), pages 65-78, April.

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