Informal Regulation of Criminal Markets in Latin America

"This book explains how states informally regulate drug markets in Latin America. It shows how and why state actors, specifically police and politicians, confront, negotiate with or protect drug dealers to extract illicit rents or prevent criminal violence. The book highlights how, in countries with weak institutions, police act as interlocutors between criminals and politicians. It shows that whether and how politicians control their police forces explains the prevalence of different informal regulatory arrangements to control drug markets. Using detailed case studies built on 180 interviews in four cities in Argentina and Brazil, the book reconstructs how these informal regulatory arrangements emerged and changed over time"--

List of contents

1. Informal regulation of criminal markets in Latin America; 2. A theory of drug market regulation; 3. Particularistic confrontation: The persistent war between gangs and police in Rio De Janeiro; 4. Particularistic negotiation: The decentralization of police corruption and increase in violence in Rosario, Santa Fe; 5. Coordinated protection: The consolidation of centralized corruption in Buenos Aires; 6. Coordinated coexistence: The consolidation of a police-gang truce in São Paulo; 7. Regulation of criminal markets in weak institutional contexts.

About the author

Hernán Flom is Visiting Assistant Professor at Trinity College.

Summary

This book shows how and why politicians and police actors confront, negotiate with, or protect drug dealers to contain criminal violence in urban areas or profit from illicit rents. It will be useful to scholars, students and policymakers interested in crime and violence in Latin America and beyond.

Product details

• Authors: Hernán Flom, Hernan (Trinity College Flom
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.08.2022
• EAN: 9781009170727
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0917072-7
• No. of pages: 300
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Criminology, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Constitutions, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Affairs & Administration, LAW / Government / General, Politics & government, Politics and government, Legal aspects of criminology, Central / national / federal government policies, Constitution: government & the state, Government powers, Central government policies, Constitution: government and the state, Criminology: legal aspects, Regional, state and other local government, Regional government, Regional Government Policies, Regional, state and other local government policies