In: Economics
1. Which of the following have greater incentives to collude and to form cartels in an effort to achieve monopoly-like profits?
a. |
Monopolists |
b. |
workers in a competitive labor market |
c. |
monopolistic competitors |
d. |
firms in a perfectly competitive market |
e. |
Oligopolists |
2. A monopolistically competitive market consists of many sellers, an oligopoly consists of ________ seller(s), and a monopoly consists of ________ seller(s).
a. |
one; one |
d. |
a few; one |
b. |
one; two |
e. |
many; one |
c. |
a few; many |
3. When two or more firms form a ________ agreement and set price and quantity in unison, economists refer to them as ________.
a. |
competitive; a cartel |
b. |
collusive; social benefactors |
c. |
collusive; a cartel |
d. |
monopolistically competitive; social benefactors |
e. |
monopolistically competitive; a cartel |
4. When a market is characterized by mutual interdependence
a. |
one firm’s pricing decision does not affect the market share of any other firm. |
b. |
one firm’s quantity decision does not affect the market share of any other firm. |
c. |
all firms always act in unison to produce the monopoly quantity. |
d. |
the actions of one firm have an impact on the price and output of its competitors. |
e. |
the actions of one firm have no impact on the price and output decisions of its competitors. |
Q1) Since in oligopoly there are few big firms, it is profitable for them to collude and form a cartel and achieve monopoly like profits. In case of oligopoly, the firms are dependent on each other for price and output decisions and price and output decision of one firm is very likely to affect the price and output decision of other firms. So, the answer is oligopolists.
Q2) It is the characteristic of oligopoly to have few big sellers and many buyers and that of monopoly to have a single or one seller and many buyers. So, the answer is a few; one.
Q3) When two or more firms form collusive agreement and set price and quantity in unison, the economists refer to them as cartel. A cartel by definition is the group of few big firms who come together to take price and output decisions for the whole group.
Q4) When the market is characterized by mutual interdependence, the action of one firm have an impact on the price and quantity of its competitors. Interdependence means that the firms depend on each other for price and output decisions so that price and output of one firm significantly affect the price and output of other firms in the market.