Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/311233 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Citation: 
[Journal:] European Journal of Law and Economics [ISSN:] 1572-9990 [Volume:] 56 [Issue:] 2 [Publisher:] Springer US [Place:] New York, NY [Year:] 2023 [Pages:] 289-323
Publisher: 
Springer US, New York, NY
Abstract: 
We analyze 15 German cartels, focusing on the personal characteristics of the individual participants, the methods and frequency of communication as well as the internal organizational structures within the cartels and their eventual breakup. Our results indicate that cartel members are highly homogeneous and often rely on existing networks within the industry, such as trade associations. Most impressively, only two of the 158 individuals involved in these 15 cartels were female, suggesting that gender plays a role for cartel formation. We further identify various forms of communication and divisions of responsibilities and show that leniency programs are a powerful tool in breaking up cartels. Based on these results we discuss implications for competition policy and further research.
Subjects: 
Cartels
Collusion
Social networks
Trust
Antitrust
JEL: 
L41
K42
D43
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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