fragment of fresco from Lorenzelli's il boun governo
‘KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!’, 1940s Soviet propaganda poster warning people not to gossip

ExLEGI is the Extra-legal Governance Institute, a unit within the University of Oxford's Social Sciences Division. ExLEGI was founded in 2006 by Professor Diego Gambetta, Dr Heather Hamill, and Professor Federico Varese.

The Extra-Legal Governance Institute promotes the study of ways in which economic and social activity may be governed by institutions and structures that are outside the state.

ExLEGI aims to provide an intellectual base and focal point for scholars across the social sciences who study extra-legal governance, both in Oxford and in the wider academic community. ExLEGI's activities include:

  • Teaching.  ExLEGI offers teaching through specialised papers within criminology and sociology, supervision for graduate students, and summer schools.
  • Discussion.  ExLEGI's seminar series hosts speakers on a range of extra-legal governance topics. In addition, special events provide an opportunity for scholars from different disciplines to focus on one topic of common interest.
  • Resources. Data and research on extra-legal practices tend to be scarce and difficult to obtain. ExLEGI gathers and organises relevant resources in an archive for scholars.

 

Extra-legal News

Immigrants fall into clutches of mafia
Illegal immigrants to Italy get little shelter from the law - leaving them prime targets for exploitation by the local mafia, finds Emma Wallis in Castel Volturno, near Naples

 

New Book

Professor Diego Gambetta's new book, Codes of the Underworld: How Criminals Communicate, was named one of the best books of 2009 by New Scientist. Details here.

 

ExLEGI announcement

Please note that the time and venue of ExLEGI seminars will change in Hilary Term 2010, to Mondays 12.30-14.00 in Seminar Room G, Manor Road Building.