Mafia, Deviant Masons and Corruption

No issue is enveloped in the same toxic blend of controversy and ignorance that characterises public discussion of the links between Freemasonry and criminality. This is especially so in Italy, where a black legend has developed about the ties between mafia organisations and Masons. Nobody is better equipped to shed the light of social scientific understanding on this fraught topic than Alberto Vannucci, one of Italy’s key authorities on corruption, and Anna Sergi, one of the leading experts on the Calabrian mafia or ‘ndrangheta. Their book is as important as it is fascinating. John Dickie, Professor of Italian Studies, University College London As a hidden exchange, corruption needs secrecy, but also powerful actors to reduce its transaction costs and ensure compliance. Rich in empirical evidence and original in its theoretical reflections, this precious volume illuminates how and under which conditions deviant masons and mafia bosses perform that role. Donatella Della Porta, Professor of Political Science, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa The interplay and exchange of services between organized crime and the official world have been objects of study for decades. The originality of this timely book consists in adding a neglected deviant actor to the equation: masonry. This is a breath-taking, remarkable journey into the Italian deep state. Vincenzo Ruggiero, Professor of Sociology, Middlesex University, London