5th Conference on Organised Crime

10 – 11 December 2026, University of Naples

Mafia, Cartels and Crime Networks, Challenges to State and Society

Call for Panels and Papers are now open until Monday 22 June.

In collaboration with the Department of Social Sciences, Naples University and the Italian Institute for Philosophical Studies, our Standing Group on Organised Crime (SGOC) is holding its 5th Conference in Naples on 10 – 11 December 2026 to celebrate its 25th birthday.

Funding Opportunity – Funding will be available for one participant from the Global South and will cover registration fees, as well as contributions towards travel and accommodation costs. Funding will be made available after decisions on paper and panel proposals have been announced.

About the conference

The Conference follows previous editions held in Naples (2015), Bath (2017), Sofia (2019), and Pisa (2022). This two-day conference will take place in the heart of Naples on 10 – 11 December.

The Conference will present the latest research on organised crime, in all its different aspects, manifestations and contexts, encouraging maximum exchanges. It will particularly address the challenges criminal organisations and their activities pose to the state, society and the economy at local, national and international levels. Serving as an interdisciplinary forum, the event will foster discussion and collaboration on diverse aspects of organised crime, including environmental crime, cybercrime, money laundering, mafias, and cartels.

All researchers, practitioners and policy makers, regardless of discipline, nationality or rank, are warmly invited to present their original research and projects at this unique-in person international conference that places organised crime at the centre of its discussions and analysis.

Keynotes and roundtables will be in English while panels and sections may be in Italian, English, French, or Spanish to encourage broad participation and exchange.

For more information, please contact sgconferences@ecpr.eu.

The Standing Group

The ECPR Standing Group on Organised Crime (SGOC) was established following a successful panel at the Joint Sessions in Grenoble, France, in 2001. The panel highlighted the need for both more concrete, in-depth research on organised crime and related themes, and closer collaboration between practitioners, policymakers, and academics. The Standing Group continues to work in this spirit.

Its main objectives remain:

Promote the study of organised crime across disciplines
Initiate new research agendas based on the standing group members’ interests and foster collaboration among researchers
Dvelop and support interdisciplinary cooperation and research
Facilitate electronic and other forms of communication among members
Contribute to ECPR activities by organising conferences, seminars, and workshops on organised crime, including at the annual Joint Sessions

To date, it continues to organise events (including Summer Schools with the UNODC, panels, and general conferences) and encourage publications. It is also a partner in the 24-hour Conference on Global Organized Crime project with Global Initiative, CIROC and IASOC.

Conference Convenors

Felia Allum University of Bath
Luca Ranieri Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies

Chair of the Local Organising Team

Luciano Brancaccio University of Napals

Our host

Department of Social Sciences | Università Federico II, Naples, Italy

The Department of Social Sciences has a highly qualified staff of professors and researchers from diverse disciplines, including Anthropology, History, Law, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Our academic team collaborates effectively, producing excellent research and creating rich teaching and learning opportunities across disciplinary boundaries.

Research in the Department is highly multidisciplinary and innovative, focusing on two broad areas. The first, public policies, social inequalities, and welfare, brings together sociologists, historians, legal scholars, political scientists, and statisticians. The second, communication and digital cultures, features research groups that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries, including Anthropology, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology.

The Department of Social Sciences offers a three-year doctoral programme in Social Sciences and Statistics, emphasising the methodological and analytical tools required for social research. PhD candidates are encouraged to adopt a multidisciplinary approach in designing and developing their research projects and doctoral theses.

Teaching and research activities of the doctoral programme are supported by the majority of the Department’s staff and an advisory board composed of renowned Italian and international scholars.

The 5th Conference on Organised Crime will be hosted by the Department of Social Sciences, in Università Federico II, Naples, Italy.

Registration Fees

Participants attending and appearing in the Academic Programme must register and pay through our online system.

Whether presenting, participating, or observing, attendees must be a member on the Standing Group on Organised Crime. Membership is free and you can join here.

ECPR Members

Standard: €183
(approx. £160)

Student: €128
(approx. £111)

Non-Members

Standard: €244
(approx. £212)

Student: €190
(approx. £165)

All participants must pay a fee. Your space is not secured until your registration is paid in full.

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