It is not easy to ascertain the exact relationship of these groups to the mafia, and scholars are at a loss when it comes to answering this question. They were conglomerates—a mixture of cartels, unions, and syndicates—which for a variety of reasons benefited from protection, either by supplying it or by making use of it. It seems probable that in more primitive cases the protection role was collectively discharged rather than handled on a specialized basis. Moreover, it is not clear whether the mafioso was always in the same profession as his proteges.

XREF: Connects to scholarship on the historical origins of organized crime and the mafia's relationship to legitimate economic structures.

Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Busi…, loc. 221