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The Rise and Decline of an International Zinc and Lead Cartel, 1945–75
Author(s) -
Tsokhas Kosmas
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
australian economic history review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.493
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 1467-8446
pISSN - 0004-8992
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8446.00068
Subject(s) - cartel , monopoly , competition (biology) , legislation , lead (geology) , international trade , international economics , business , market power , international market , economics , market share , market economy , industrial organization , collusion , finance , political science , ecology , geomorphology , geology , law , biology
From the late 1940s to the early 1970s major firms in the international zinc and lead industries organized cartels to stabilize the prices of the metals at above market levels. The attempts of the Zinc Producers Group and the Lead Producers Group to secure above‐market‐level prices met with limited success because of divisions within each cartel over strategy, the large number of producers and source countries, and the lack of international market power and comprehensive vertical integration. Limited barriers to entry, external competition, and the impact of anti‐monopoly and restrictive trade practices legislation further weakened the cartels.