Interesting article on the influence of the mafia on peasant organizing, and effects that had on education, elections, birth survival rates, and how they connected it with an extended drought.
Weak states: Causes and consequences of the Sicilian Mafia
"Our work shows large negative effects of the Mafia just a few decades after its spread throughout Sicily in the last decade of the 19th century. The Mafia appears to significantly reduce literacy, increase infant mortality and limit the provision of a variety of local public goods. We also find a sizable effect of the Mafia on local politics – in places where the Mafia took root, the distribution of votes in parliamentary elections is highly concentrated."
https://voxeu.org/article/causes-and-consequences-sicilian-mafia
