In this paper, we use a partition function form game to analyze cartel formation among firms in Cournot competition. We … level of the cost advantage is "moderate", then the firm with the cost advantage leads the cartel formation among the firms …. Moreover, if the cost advantage is relatively high, then the formed cartel can also be stable in the sense of the core of a …

proliferating their products. It is shown that a selective pruning within the cartel always occurs. Moreover, by associating a … cooperative (or coalitional) stability of the whole industry cartel is the equidistance of firms’ products along the quality … coalition, (i) market pruning dominates product proliferation and (ii) partial cartelisation always arises in equilibrium, with …