This thesis covers topics in Political and Labour Economics. Chapter 1, joint with Paolo Ghinetti, Simone Moriconi, Costanza Naguib, and Michele Pellizzari, investigates the effect of the college major choice on labour market outcomes in Italy. Chapter 2 presents a new database that maps the presence of the Sicilian Mafia and documents its persistence over time. Chapter 3 uses both theory and empirics to study the consequences of ineffective civil tribunals on the presence of organized crime in Italy.