Collusion when players take turns
Abstract
We present a model of two players who take turns to facilitate collusion. One of the players wins (contract, office), while the other loses by presenting a ludicrous proposal or no proposal at all. Assuming that players use grim trigger strategies, we show that it is possible to sustain agreements as a Subgame Perfect Nash Equilibrium (a) for a range of discount factors below one but above zero and (b) for two disjoint intervals of the discount factor. • We study a new form of collusion in infinitely repeated games. • Players enjoy monopoly power in alternate periods. • Examples: contests, auctions, elections, advertising. • Collusion can be sustained for a range of discount factors below 1 but above 0. • Collusion can be sustained for two disjoint intervals of the discount factor.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Game Theory and Applications
Merger and Competition Analysis
Game Theory and Voting Systems
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Economics Letters
- Volume
- 263
- Pages
- 112918–112918
- Publication date
- 6 March 2026
- Language
- EN