Jamal Awil

← Trust and Trustworthiness

Mafia protection exploits rational distrust to suppress competition. [causal]

As Gambetta (1988, 172–73) notes, the Mafia might help someone sell fraudulently. This implicitly would make clear that without Mafia protection distrust of one's fellows is rational and would therefore undercut competition that would benefit almost everyone.

Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, loc. 972