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7 Monopoly
7 Monopoly
Market Structure:
Structure:
Monopoly
Monopoly
MONOPOLY
• Single seller that produces a product with no
close substitutes
a
Pm
D
MR
O Qm Q
Profit maximising under monopoly
Rs MC
AC
a
PM
Profit
AC
b
D
MR
O Qm Q
Lessens Learnt
• As the only seller, a monopolist faces the market
demand curve
• Soln:
• MR = d(TR)/dQ = 400 - 40Q
• MC = d(TC)/dQ = 40Q
• MR = MC; Q = 5 & P = Rs. 300
Monopoly and Public Policy
Panel (b) shows what happens when the monopolist must charge a price equal to
average total cost, the price PR*. Output expands to QR*, and consumer surplus is
now the entire blue area. The monopolist makes zero profit. This is the greatest
consumer surplus possible when the monopolist is allowed to at least break even,
making PR* the best regulated price.
• Income redistribution from consumer to
monopolist in the form of profit does not
necessarily represent a loss in society
Pm
Economic
Profit
Rent Seeking
Tech Inefficiency A
Pc
D
MR
Qm Qc Quantity per
period
Technical Inefficiency
• Objective of a firm’s manager is to maximize
profit
• A necessary condition for profit maximization is
cost minimization
• A monopoly, earning supernormal profit and
insulated from competition, may not keen on
cost minimization because
– Manager, who is salaried and not a stockholder, may
not give significant effort
– Faulty labour contract, which consider number of
hours work, not efficiency
– Everybody wants leisure
Rent Seeking
• QS = 2P (Market Supply)
• QD = 180 - 4P (Market Demand)
where Q is barrels of oil per day (in millions) and P is the market price of
oil.
• Graph and calculate the equilibrium price/output solution. How much
consumer surplus, producer surplus, and social welfare is produced
at this activity level?
• Use the graph to help you ascertain the amount of consumer surplus
transferred to the monopoly producer following a change from a
competitive market to a monopoly market.
• The competitive market equilibrium price-output
combination is a market price of $30 with an
equilibrium output of 60 (million) barrels per day.
• Consumer Surplus =
2 [60 *($45 - $30)] = $450 (million) per day
• Producer Surplus =
2 [60 *($30 - $0)] = $900 (million) per day
30
27
SEBs Excess Poor Lack of Lack of Best Supply Lack of Lack of India Supp- High Plant US
man- OFT* viable scale practice rela- viable infrast- poten- lier growth mix average
power invest- India tions invest- ructure tial relat- rates
ments ments ions
*Organisation of functions and tasks
Source:Planning Commission; CEA; EIA; ASI; Interviews; McKinsey analysis
Example: SEBs Monopoly
OPERATIONAL REASONS FOR PRODUCTION GAP – T&D
Index :US = 100 100
• Outdated meter
• Under- reading
• Thefts investment in • Theft technology
• Inefficient substations, • Excessive 58
deployments capacitors etc. hierarchy
of manpower
42
2
33 5
2
India
India 6
average
average
== 4%
4% 22
4
1
SEBs Excess Poor Lack of Best Excess Poor Lack of India Low per US
man- OFT* viable practice man- OFT* viable poten- capita average
power invest- India power invest- tial consump-
ments ments tion
• Disadvantages of monopoly
– high prices / low output: short run
– high prices / low output: long run
– lack of incentive to innovate
– X-inefficiency
• Advantages of monopoly
– economies of scale
– profits can be used for investment
Economic & Normal Profit