Not all Gangs are Created Equal: Criminal Governance in London
Not all Gangs are Created Equal: Criminal Governance in London
Image Sandor Szmutko (via Shutterstock)
CRIS Scientific Seminar 2022-2023
Friday, June 30th 2023, 10:00 am
Sciences Po (13, rue de l'Université) - Salle du Conseil
Not all Gangs are Created Equal: Criminal Governance in London
Federico Varese
Professor of Sociology, Sciences Po - CEE
The paper explores the criminal governance dimension of gang activity by introducing a novel survey instrument, the Crim-Gov questionnaire, and applying it to identify governance-type gangs in London.
Criminal governance is a complex task that not all gangs are able to perform. We find a U-shaped relationship between deprivation and gangs: communities with no gangs are much better off than the rest of the city, yet governance-type criminal groups nest in areas that are not the most deprived and with the weakest social fabric.
Criminal governance is more likely to emerge in communities characterised by greater difficulties in accessing housing and local services, where the legal provision of services is potentially of lesser quality, and with lower residential mobility.
