“Price in the long-run under monopolistic competition is necessarily higher and outputnecessarily lower, as compared to perfect competition.” Explain diagrammatically.
Question
“Price in the long-run under monopolistic competition is necessarily higher and outputnecessarily lower, as compared to perfect competition.” Explain diagrammatically.
Solution
Sure, I can explain the concept of price and output in the long-run under monopolistic competition compared to perfect competition using a diagram.
In a monopolistically competitive market, there are many firms that produce differentiated products, meaning each firm has some degree of market power. This leads to a downward-sloping demand curve for each firm, as consumers have preferences for different products.
In contrast, in a perfectly competitive market, there are many firms producing identical products, and they are price takers, meaning they have no market power. This results in a horizontal demand curve for each firm, as they can sell as much as they want at the prevailing market price.
To illustrate this, let's start with a diagram. On the horizontal axis, we have the quantity of output, and on the vertical axis, we have the price.
In perfect competition, the demand curve is perfectly elastic, represented by a horizontal line at the market price. The firm's marginal revenue (MR) curve is also horizontal and coincides with the demand curve. The firm will produce at the quantity where marginal cost (MC) equals marginal revenue (MR), which is the efficient level of output. The price will be equal to the marginal cost at that quantity.
In monopolistic competition, the demand curve is downward-sloping, indicating that the firm faces a more elastic demand for its product. The firm's marginal revenue curve is below the demand curve and has a steeper slope. The firm will still produce where MC equals MR, but the price will be higher than the marginal cost at that quantity.
This is because in monopolistic competition, firms have some market power and can set their prices above marginal cost to maximize their profits. However, they still face competition from other firms producing similar products, so they cannot charge excessively high prices.
Therefore, in the long-run, under monopolistic competition, the price will be higher and the output will be lower compared to perfect competition. This is because monopolistically competitive firms have some degree of market power, allowing them to charge higher prices, but they also face competition, which limits their ability to set prices too high.
I hope this explanation helps!
Similar Questions
Explain price-output determination in perfect competition.
In the long run, a representative firm in a monopolistically competitive industry will end upMultiple Choicehaving an elasticity of demand that will be less than it was in the short run.having a larger number of competitors than it will in the short run.producing a level of output at which marginal cost and price are equal.earning a normal profit, so zero economic profit.
b) Show the profit maximising price level for this firm in the short run in the diagram above. c) Show the total level of profit for this firm in the short run in the diagram above. d) Show the equilibrium level of output in the long run for the monopolistically competitive firm in the diagram above and explain where this is determined. e) What is the relationship between the profit maximising price level and average total cost for monopolistically competitive firm in the long run and why? f) Is a monopolistically competitive firm allocatively efficient in the SR? LR? Why or why not? g) Is a monopolistically competitive firm productively efficient in the SR? LR? Why or why not? h) Is a monopolistically competitive firm dynamically efficient? Why or why not?
How is long-run equilibrium under monopolistic competition similar to long-run equilibrium under perfect competition?Group of answer choicesFirms produce at the minimum point of their average cost curves.Price equals marginal cost.Firms break even.Price equals marginal revenue.
If a monopolist wants to increase their profit, they can always raise the price.
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