Analysis of Market Structures and Perfect Competition
Module 5: Market Structures
Understanding the different types of market structures is essential for analyzing business behavior and economic outcomes.
| Feature | Perfect Competition | Monopolistic Competition | Oligopoly | Monopoly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of businesses | Very many | Many | Few | One |
| Type of product | Standard | Differentiated | Standard or differentiated | Not applicable |
| Entry and exit | Very easy | Fairly easy | Difficult | Very difficult |
| Market power | None | Some | Some | Great |
| Example | Farming | Restaurants | Automobile manufacturing | Public utilities |
Common Barriers to Market Entry
Entry barriers prevent new competitors from easily entering an industry. These include:
- Increasing returns to scale: Cost advantages gained by larger businesses.
- Market experience: Established firms have deeper industry knowledge.
- Restricted
English with a size of 341.1 KB