Microeconomics

Table of Contents

1. Topic pack - Microeconomics - introduction
2. 1.1 Competitive Markets: Demand and Supply
3. 1.1 Competitive Markets: Demand and Supply - notes
4. 1.1 Competitive markets - questions
5. 1.1 Competitive markets - simulations and activities
6. 1.2 Elasticities
7. 1.2 Elasticities - notes
8. Section 1.2 Elasticities - questions
9. Section 1.2 Elasticities - simulations and activities
10. 1.3 Government intervention
11. 1.3 Government Intervention - notes
12. 1.3 Government intervention - questions
13. 1.3 Government intervention - simulations and activities
14. 1.4 Market failure
15. 1.4 Market failure - notes
16. Section 1.4 Market failure - questions
17. Section 1.4 Market failure - simulations and activities
18. 1.5 Theory of the firm
19. 1.5 Theory of the firm - notes (HL only)
    1. Cost theory
    2. Calculating costs
    3. Short-run
    4. Long-run
    5. Internal economies of scale
    6. External economies of scale
    7. Diseconomies of scale
    8. Long run cost curves
    9. The very long run
    10. Revenues
    11. Revenues - notes
    12. Profit
    13. Profit - notes
    14. Combining revenue and cost curves
    15. Profit maximisation - price taker
    16. Profit maximisation - price setter
    17. Alternative aims of firms
    18. Profit, sales and revenue maximisation
    19. Perfect competition
    20. Perfect competition - notes
    21. Short-run to long-run - profits
    22. Short-run to long-run - losses
    23. Shut down price, break-even price
    24. Efficient allocation of resources
    25. Monopoly and oligopoly
    26. Monopoly and oligopoly - introduction
    27. Growth and power
    28. The model of monopoly
    29. Monopoly - profit maximisation
    30. Monopoly equilibrium
    31. Monopoly v. perfect competition
    32. Economic efficiency in perfect competition
    33. Economic efficiency in perfect competition and monopoly
    34. Efficiency and market structure
    35. Monopolistic competition
    36. Monopolistic competition - notes
    37. Monopolistic competition in the short-run
    38. Monopolistic competition in the long run
    39. Oligopoly
    40. Oligopoly - notes
    41. Advertising and branding
    42. Product innovation
    43. Theories of oligopoly - non-collusive
    44. The kinked demand curve theory
    45. Kinked demand curve - change in cost
    46. Cut-price competition (predatory pricing)
    47. Theories of oligopoly - collusive
    48. Forms of collusion
    49. Price discrimination
    50. Equilibrium of the discriminating monopolist
20. Section 1.5 Theory of the firm - questions
21. Section 1.5 Theory of the firm - simulations and activities
22. Print View

Theories of oligopoly - non-collusive

The various models of oligopoly can be classified under two main headings: non-collusive or competitive oligopoly and collusive oligopoly. We shall consider each in turn:

Non-collusive or competitive oligopoly

In this case, each firm will embark upon a particular strategy without colluding with its rivals, although there will of course still exist a state of interdependence, as possible reactions of rivals will have to be considered.

There are three broad approaches that might be adopted by firms in a situation of competitive oligopoly:

1. Observe the behaviour of rival firms but make no attempt to predict their possible strategies on the basis that they will not develop counter strategies. This was the essence of the earliest model of oligopoly developed by Cournot as far back as 1838: each firm acts independently on the assumption that its decision will not provoke any response from rivals; this is not generally accepted nowadays as providing a useful framework in which to analyse contemporary oligopoly behaviour.
2. Make the assumption that a given strategy will provoke a response from competitor firms, and assess the nature of the response using past experience. This is the basis of the kinked demand curve model, described below, in which it is assumed that any price cut by one oligopolist will induce all others to do likewise, whilst a similar price increase would not be matched.
3. Formulate a strategy and try to anticipate how rivals are most likely to react, and be prepared with suitable counter measures.

This is the basis of game theory in which competition under oligopoly is seen as being similar to a game of chess in which every potential move must be regarded as a strategy, and possible reactive moves by opponents and subsequent counter-moves must all be carefully considered. The application of the theory of games to economics was first introduced in 1944 by J. von Neuman and O. Morgenstern. Game theory involves the study of optimal strategies to maximise payoffs, taking into account the risks involved in estimating reactions of opponents, and also the conditions under which there is a unique solution, such that an optimum strategy for two opponents is feasible and not inconsistent. A zero-sum game is one in which one player's gain is another's loss, and a non-zero-sum game is one in which a decision adopted by one player may be to the benefit of all. Look up 'The Prisoner's Dilemma'!