Anti-Mafia Policies in Italy: The Need for Collaborative Governance and Transition of the Policy Actors from Isolation to Coalition

Abstract

This paper focuses on the struggle of anti-mafia movements in Italy. This study has found that there is still lack of consistency in classification of anti-mafia policies. Moreover, there is neither unity among the policy actors nor active cooperation among multiple actors while designing anti-mafia policies. Therefore, this paper first aims to simplify an explanation of the policy actors by following an actor-based approach in order to classify the actors as direct (state) and indirect (nonstate) actors; then, it traces the direction of the policies from top to down and from bottom to top and determines the dimension of the policies as being at the macro and/or micro level. Second, this paper suggests that there should be collaboration that binds all actors legally in order to avoid multiple actors clashing and steer them from isolation to cooperation so as to take advantage of optimum point in anti-mafia policies. Finally, it is stressed that the building of cooperation should be through the “3 C” cycle - cohesion, consolidation, and commitment - in order to make effective and reflexive policies.