Chapter 10 Market Power Monopoly and Monopsony

 Topics to be Discussed - Monopoly & Monopoly Power - Sources of Monopoly Power - The Social Costs of Monopoly Power [ SKIP ] - Monopsony & Monopsony Power - Limiting Market Power: The Antitrust Laws [ SKIP ]  Review of Perfect Competition P = LMR = LMC Normal profits or zero economic profits in the long run Large number of buyers and sellers Homogenous product Perfect information Firm is a price taker  Monopoly 1) One seller - many buyers 2) One product (no good substitutes) 3) Barriers to entry 4) The monopolist is the supply-side of the market and has complete control over the amount offered for sale. 5) Profits will be maximized at the level of output where MR=MC.  Relationship between Average Revenue and Marginal Revenue in Monopoly - If demand curve is linear, MR is twice steeper.  Observations 1) To increase sales the price must fall 2) MR < P 3) Compare these with perfect competition case.  Monopolist’s Output Decision 1) Profits maximized at the output level where MR = MC 2) Cost functions are the same  Maximizing Profit When Marginal Revenue Equals Marginal Cost - FIGURE 10.2 on page 330  Monopoly : An Example (On page 331) - C= 50+Q2 - P=40-Q  A Rule of Thumb for Pricing in Monopoly 3. The markup (inverse of E) over MC as a percentage of price (P-MC)/P 4. Associate this with Lerner’s Index.  Monopoly pricing compared to perfect competition pricing: - Monopoly : P > MC - Perfect Competition : P = MC - The more elastic the demand the closer price is to marginal cost.  The Multiplant Firm - For many firms, production takes place in two or more different plants whose operating cost can differ. - Choosing total output and the output for each plant: o The marginal cost in each plant should be equal. o The MC should equal the MR each plant.  Monopoly Algebraically:  Production with Two Plants [ FIGURE 10.6 on page 338]  Monopoly Power - Monopoly is rare. - However, a market with several firms, each facing a downward sloping demand curve will produce so that price exceeds marginal cost.  Measuring Monopoly Power - Perfect competition: P = MR = MC - Monopoly power: P > MC - Lerner’s Index of Monopoly Power : L = (P - MC)/P - The larger the value of L ( 0 < L< 1), the greater the monopoly power. - L is expressed in terms of Ed : L = (P - MC)/P = -1/Ed - Ed is elasticity of demand for a firm, not the market.  Elasticity of Demand and Price Markup [ FIGURE 10.8 on page 342]  Sources of Monopoly Power 1) Elasticity of market demand 2) Number of firms 3) The interaction among firms  Monopsony - A monopsony is a market in which there is a single buyer (eg. NASA). - An oligopsony is a market with only a few buyers. - Monopsony power is the ability of the buyer to affect the price of the good and pay less than the price that would exist in a competitive market.  Competitive Buyer : [Figure 10.13 on page 353] - Price taker - P = Marginal expenditure = Average expenditure - D = Marginal value - Compared to Competitive Seller  Monopoly and Monopsony [ Figure 10.15 on page 355] - Monopoly : MR < P, P > MC, - Monopsony : ME > P , P < MV, Qm < QC, Pm > PC Qm < QC , Pm < P C  The degree of monopsony power depends on three similar factors. 1) Elasticity of market supply - The less elastic the market supply, the greater the monopsony power. 2) Number of buyers - The fewer the number of buyers, the less elastic the supply and the greater the monopsony power. 3) Interaction Among Buyers - The less the buyers compete, the greater the monopsony power.  Monopsony Power: Elastic versus Inelastic Supply [ FIGURE 10.16 on page 356]  Bilateral Monopoly - Bilateral monopoly is rare. - However, markets with a small number of sellers with monopoly power selling to a market with few buyers with monopsony power is more common.