Criminal organizations are a form of government in some ways, protection schemes can be viewed as similar to taxes, and criminal organizations can provide welfa

Criminal organizations are a form of government in some ways, protection schemes can be viewed as similar to taxes, and criminal organizations can provide welfare in the form of patronage and corruption. Where the government is lacking, or among populations that the government ignores (such as recent immigrants), a need arises for protection from the unorganized crime, and hence criminals organize and extract money for their efforts. I'm not saying this is good, compared to most (but not all) governments, criminal organizations tend to be more prone to violent outbursts. Accountability is reduced due to the unofficial and secretive nature of these organizations (although there are plenty of governments with low accountability). Secrecy also makes democratic practices almost impossible (although I would be interested in hearing of any exceptions). Nepotism and vulnerability to failures in new generations are common issues. But I suppose what I am saying is similar to the sentiment "Criminal organizations like the mafia always thrive when the government is weak" - to actually reduce the influence of criminal organizations, governments must provide some level of competent protection and services, or otherwise another criminal organization will just step in whenever one is taken down.