AN INCOMPLETE COOPERATION STRUCTURE FOR A VOTING GAME CAN BE STRATEGICALLY STABLE

Aumann and Myerson (1988) defined a noncooperative linking game leadin g to the formation of cooperation structures. They asked whether it is possible for a simple game to have a stable structure in which no coa lition forms, i.e., in which the cooperation graph is not internally c omplete but is connected and stable. We answer this question affirmati vely; specifically, we present a simple proper weighted majority game with a connected incomplete structure, and we prove it to be stable un der any protocol for the strategic formation of new links. This result implies that strategically refused communication can be a robust stab le phenomena. (C) 1998 Academic Press.