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Fines, Leniency and Rewards in Antitrust: An Experiment

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Author Info
Bigoni, Maria () (IMT-Lucca)
Fridolfsson, Sven-Olof () (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN))
Le Coq, Chloé () (Stockholm Institute of Transition Economies)
Spagnolo, Giancarlo (Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics)

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Abstract

This paper reports results from an experiment studying how fines, leniency programs and reward schemes for whistleblowers affect cartel formation and prices. Antitrust without leniency reduces cartel formation, but increases cartel prices: subjects use costly fines as (altruistic) punishments. Leniency further increases deterrence, but stabilizes surviving cartels: subjects appear to anticipate harsher times after defections as leniency reduces recidivism and lowers post-conviction prices. With rewards, cartels are reported systematically and prices finally fall. If a ringleader is excluded from leniency, deterrence is unaffected but prices grow. Differences between treatments in Stockholm and Rome suggest culture may affect optimal law enforcement.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Research Institute of Industrial Economics in its series Working Paper Series with number 738.

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Length: 40 pages
Date of creation: 24 Apr 2008
Date of revision: 06 Aug 2009
Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:0738

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Postal: Research Institute of Industrial Economics, Box 55665, SE-102 15 Stockholm, Sweden
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Related research
Keywords: Cartels; Collusion; Coordination; Competition policy; Deterrence; Desistance; Law enforcement; Price-fixing; Punishment; Recidivism; Whistleblowers;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
C73 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Stochastic and Dynamic Games; Evolutionary Games
C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
L41 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Monopolization; Horizontal Anticompetitive Practices

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Cited by:
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  1. Jeroen Hinloopen & Adriaan Soetevent, 2008. "From Overt to Tacit Collusion," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 08-059/1, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
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This page was last updated on 2009-11-25.


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