At the Extra-Legal Governance Institute (ExLegi), University of Oxford, we produce first-class research on organised crime, cyber-crime, paramilitary, insurgents, and traffickers. We focus our attention on how these actors seek to govern markets and territories. We also offer teaching and supervision in these topics at the University of Oxford.
Our mission is to advance scholarly understanding, create and lead a sustained dialogue with practitioners, and engage with policy makers, stakeholders, and the public to support evidence-based solutions in dealing with these issues.
LATEST NEWS
25 June 2026
Paolo Campana gives expert opinion to Queensland inquiry into ‘criminal governance’ of construction
As part of an ongoing inquiry into claims of misconduct related to the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) and construction industry in Australia, Prof Campana and long-term collaborator Prof Federico Varese were asked to review material presented during proceedings and determine whether they believed the CFMEU operated as a so-called "governance organised crime group”.
16 December 2025
The battle for Marseille: How to win back streets as drug trade soars?
One month after the stunning assassination of the brother of an anti-gangland activist, French president Emmanuel Macron returning to the Mediterranean port for an update on the government’s plan to win back the streets and offer hope to fed-up citizens of France’s second largest city. The whole reason Ahmed Kessaci became an activist was the earlier murder of his older half-brother, who got mixed up with the wrong crowd.
15 December 2025
La mutation fulgurante des groupes de narcotrafiquants français, « entre la mafia et le cartel »
La comparaison entre les groupes de narcotrafiquants français et les organisations criminelles italiennes fait florès. Mais les spécialistes notent plusieurs différences dans leurs logiques, même si l’implantation territoriale les préoccupe de plus en plus.