Recidivism Eliminated: Cartel Enforcement in the United States Since 1999

The Autumn 2010 issue of Competition Policy International included a grim portrait of anticartel enforcement painted by Professor John Connor. He asserted that cartel recidivism is common and “appears to be increasing rapidly,” which he argues “is symptomatic of flaws in the structure of anti-cartel enforcement.” A high rate of recidivism would demonstrate the failure of specific (or special) deterrence, i.e.,