Previous research offers several surveys on contemporary cartels. However, these works are mostly based on international cartels or cartels convicted in the United States. To date, there is no complete analysis of cartels operating in the European Union. The aim of this paper is to bridge this gap, as we present the first systematic study of all the cartels convicted by the European Commission, ranging from the Quinine Cartel in 1969 to the Lifts and Escalators Cartel in February 2007. First, we analyze their characteristics and draw their profiles (I). Second, contrary to other purely descriptive works and in line with other recent studies, we also provide an econometrical analysis of the determinants of cartel duration (II). Finally, we estimate the probability of detection and discuss the contribution made by leniency programs to the improvement of cartel detection (III).
Pour lire la suite, cliquer ICI