Corruption among mayors: evidence from Italian court of cassation judgments

Abstract

This study focuses on Italian corruption among mayors, since they are key players in the Italian institutions. Political decentralization has brought local government closer to the citizens while allowing a more direct expression of democracy on the part of mayors. In this study, we analyse the probability of mayors committing crime with i) external actors, i.e., entrepreneurs, professionals or other politicians, ii) mafia-type organizations or iii) actors within the municipality, such as council members, cabinet members and council employees. As the main data source, the study relies on the judgments of the Italian Court of Cassation. The results show that i) mayors represent an important gateway for external groups for awarding public contracts and misappropriating public funds, and ii) mayors linked to mafia-type groups are usually merely the executors of the criminal activity, whereas the mafiosi are the planners.