What Is the Mafia?

What Is the Mafia? and Men and Things of Sicily provide a rare glimpse into how power operates when formal institutions fail.

In these sharp, ground-level studies, Gaetano Mosca—senator, jurist, and founder of elite theory—examines the mafia not as a criminal outlier, but as a substitute for the state.

Key Features:

• Rich in insight and detail, these essays delve into the workings of informal authority.
• They explore the logic of power structures that emerge when the rule of law weakens.
• The analysis remains highly relevant to understanding systems that step in to govern when formal institutions falter.

An essential read for those interested in the intersection of politics, sociology, and history.