The aim of this project is to analyse recruitment into illegal organizations that use violence for political or criminal goals, taking into account the supply of potential recruits and the demands of the organizations. By comparing criminals and illegal political groups we aim to show: 1) the many variables affecting recruitment under the primary condition dictated by violence and illegality when the size, the military strategy, and the goal of the groups are substantially different; 2) how, despite those differences, common patterns can be identified.

These groups differ in their aims, structures and constraints. Nonetheless they all share the need to find trustworthy, loyal and competent members in a context in which – given the illegal status of the organizations – information does not flow freely and alternative mechanisms need to be implemented for the recruitment process to take place. Little is known about such mechanisms since recruitment so far has been addressed to assess members’ motivations without questioning the process prior to the selection itself, thus accounting for only one side of the recruitment process. Crucially the present project will also observe the role of those who set the parameters and select members from a pool of potential recruits.

Research Team: Dr Heather Hamill (Principal Investigator) and Dr Valeria Pizzini-Gambetta