Which of the following can eliminate the inefficiency inherent in monopoly pricing?Group of answer choicesArbitragePrice discriminationCost-plus pricingRegulations that force monopolies to reduce their levels of output
Question
Which of the following can eliminate the inefficiency inherent in monopoly pricing?Group of answer choicesArbitragePrice discriminationCost-plus pricingRegulations that force monopolies to reduce their levels of output
Solution
Price discrimination can eliminate the inefficiency inherent in monopoly pricing. Here's how:
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Monopoly pricing is inefficient because it sets a single price for all consumers, regardless of their willingness to pay. This leads to a deadweight loss, as some consumers who value the product more than its marginal cost are priced out of the market.
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Price discrimination, on the other hand, involves charging different prices to different consumers based on their willingness to pay. This allows the monopolist to capture more consumer surplus and potentially increase total welfare.
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By perfectly price discriminating, a monopolist can eliminate the deadweight loss associated with monopoly pricing. This is because every consumer who values the product more than its marginal cost is able to purchase it.
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However, perfect price discrimination is rarely possible in practice due to information asymmetry and other practical constraints. But even imperfect price discrimination can reduce the inefficiency associated with monopoly pricing.
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It's important to note that while price discrimination can increase total welfare, it doesn't necessarily improve equity, as it can lead to higher prices for some consumers.
Similar Questions
An increase in fixed costs for a monopoly will do which of the following?Group of answer choicesDecrease the monopolist's economic profitsLead to a slight reduction in the number of units soldLower marginal revenueCause the monoplist to increase its price
Monopolies will tend to produce a greater quantity and charge higher prices than perfectly competitive industries.Group of answer choicesTrueFalse
A monopoly will not necessarily be technically efficient because which of the following is true?Group of answer choicesBarriers to entry will keep firms from enteringFirms will enter until the price is lowered to where price equals average costMonopolies have no close substitutesMonopolies charge the highest price on the demand curve
Multiple Choice QuestionBecause a monopoly is a price maker and prices its products in the elastic portion of the demand curve, its output is less than that required to achieve minimum average total cost. In addition, the monopoly's price will exceed its marginal cost at this level of output. Monopoly therefore createsMultiple choice question.greater efficiency.a revenue loss.a marginal loss.an efficiency loss.
A decrease in variable costs will cause the monopoly to do what?Group of answer choicesDecrease the priceRaise the priceLower the level of output
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