Countering Protection Rackets Using Legal and Social Approaches: An Agent-Based Test

Protection rackets cause economic and social damage across the world. States typically combat protection rackets using legal strategies that target the racketeers with legislation, strong sentencing, and increasing the presence and involvement of police officers. Nongovernmental organizations, conve...

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Main Authors: Áron Székely, Luis G. Nardin, Giulia Andrighetto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-01-01
Series:Complexity
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/3568085
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author Áron Székely
Luis G. Nardin
Giulia Andrighetto
author_facet Áron Székely
Luis G. Nardin
Giulia Andrighetto
author_sort Áron Székely
collection DOAJ
description Protection rackets cause economic and social damage across the world. States typically combat protection rackets using legal strategies that target the racketeers with legislation, strong sentencing, and increasing the presence and involvement of police officers. Nongovernmental organizations, conversely, focus on the rest of the population and counter protection rackets using a social approach. These organisations attempt to change the actions and social norms of community members with education, promotional campaigns, and discussions. We use an agent-based model, which draws on established theories of protection rackets and combines features of sociological and economic perspectives to modelling social interactions, to test the effects of legal and social approaches. We find that a legal approach is a necessary component of a policy approach, that social only approaches should not be used because they lead to large increases in violence, and that a combination of the two works best, although even this must be used carefully.
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spelling doaj-art-d968dcc1a80e4fcd8d7dba77e5d064942025-08-20T03:24:17ZengWileyComplexity1076-27871099-05262018-01-01201810.1155/2018/35680853568085Countering Protection Rackets Using Legal and Social Approaches: An Agent-Based TestÁron Székely0Luis G. Nardin1Giulia Andrighetto2Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Italian National Research Council, Rome, ItalyDept. of Informatics, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, GermanyInstitute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Italian National Research Council, Rome, ItalyProtection rackets cause economic and social damage across the world. States typically combat protection rackets using legal strategies that target the racketeers with legislation, strong sentencing, and increasing the presence and involvement of police officers. Nongovernmental organizations, conversely, focus on the rest of the population and counter protection rackets using a social approach. These organisations attempt to change the actions and social norms of community members with education, promotional campaigns, and discussions. We use an agent-based model, which draws on established theories of protection rackets and combines features of sociological and economic perspectives to modelling social interactions, to test the effects of legal and social approaches. We find that a legal approach is a necessary component of a policy approach, that social only approaches should not be used because they lead to large increases in violence, and that a combination of the two works best, although even this must be used carefully.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/3568085
spellingShingle Áron Székely
Luis G. Nardin
Giulia Andrighetto
Countering Protection Rackets Using Legal and Social Approaches: An Agent-Based Test
Complexity
title Countering Protection Rackets Using Legal and Social Approaches: An Agent-Based Test
title_full Countering Protection Rackets Using Legal and Social Approaches: An Agent-Based Test
title_fullStr Countering Protection Rackets Using Legal and Social Approaches: An Agent-Based Test
title_full_unstemmed Countering Protection Rackets Using Legal and Social Approaches: An Agent-Based Test
title_short Countering Protection Rackets Using Legal and Social Approaches: An Agent-Based Test
title_sort countering protection rackets using legal and social approaches an agent based test
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/3568085
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AT giuliaandrighetto counteringprotectionracketsusinglegalandsocialapproachesanagentbasedtest