When criminals invest in businesses: Are we looking in the right direction? An exploratory analysis of companies controlled by mafias

The chapter carries out an analysis of approximatively 2,000 firms confiscated from mafia organised crime in Italy. It studies the drivers behind the infiltration, the territories and sectors in which they were active. It eventually tests the correelation between the distribution of 'mafia firms' across territories and sectors, and a variety of contextual variables , including trade openness, levels of R&D activity and the presence of mafia members. Finally, it discusses future lines of research