A wide range of evidence (Arlacchi 1983) suggests that, on the margin, people who migrate do so also because of the mafia. Given that 'mafia-averse' people tend to migrate more frequently, the degree of opposition is likely to decrease and the power of the mafia to increase. The effects of migration are clearly unintended, because those who migrate do not do so in order to enhance the force of the mafia (although they may of course recognize those effects).

DEFINE: Illustrates an unintended-consequence mechanism: selective out-migration of opponents reduces local opposition and thereby empowers the mafia. Builds on: "In Sicily violence is the only career path for the ambitious."

Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking…, loc. 2190