Private Monitoring and Communication in Cartels: Explaining Recent Collusive Practices

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2011
Volume: 101
Issue: 6
Pages: 2425-49

Authors (2)

Joseph E. Harrington (not in RePEc) Andrzej Skrzypacz (Stanford University)

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Motivated by recent cartel practices, a stable collusive agreement is characterized when firms' prices and quantities are private information. Conditions are derived whereby an equilibrium exists in which firms truthfully report their sales and then make transfers within the cartel based on these reports. The properties of this equilibrium fit well with the cartel agreements in a number of markets including citric acid, lysine, and vitamins. (JEL D43, D82, K21, L12, L61, L65)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:101:y:2011:i:6:p:2425-49
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29