Narco-Messages: Competition and Public Communication by Criminal Groups

10Citations
Citations of this article
30Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

Criminal groups often avoid the limelight, shunning publicity. However, in some instances, they overtly communicate, such as with banners or signs. This article explains the competition dynamics behind public criminal communication and provides theory and evidence of the conditions under which it emerges. Relying on a new dataset of approximately 1,800 banners publicly deployed by Mexican criminal groups from 2007 to 2010, the study identifies the conditions behind such messaging. The findings suggest that criminal groups go public in the presence of interorganizational contestation, violence from authorities, antagonism toward the local media, local demand for drugs, and local drug production. Some of these factors are associated only with communication toward particular audiences: Rivals, the state, or the public. An interesting finding is that the correlates of criminal propaganda are sometimes distinct from those of criminal violence, suggesting that these phenomena are explained by separate dynamics.

Author supplied keywords

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Phillips, B. J., & Riós, V. (2020). Narco-Messages: Competition and Public Communication by Criminal Groups. Latin American Politics and Society, 62(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1017/lap.2019.43

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free