Four traits characterize Cosa Nostra and the ’Ndrangheta: the organizations’ longevity; their organizational and cultural complexity; their claim to exercise a political dominion over their areas of settlement; their resulting ability to control legitimate markets.

Paoli demonstrates that several groups of the camorra only meet the latter two of the above-mentioned traits. After briefly summarizing government and societal anti-mafia actions from the early 1990s onwards, the title question will be answered, namely consider whether Italian mafia-type criminal organizations should or not be considered an idealtypical form of organized crime.