In: Economics
Many product markets exhibit characteristics of both monopolistic competition and oligopolies, such as video game consoles and movie theater chains. What characteristics in each of these markets make it more monopolistically competitive? Which characteristics make it more like an oligopoly?
a. Elastic demand with differentiated products.
b. Differentiated products with mutual interdependence.
c. Single seller of a good or service and collusive agreement.
d. Large number of sellers with homogenous products.
Characteristics that make the market more monopolistically competitive:
a. Elastic demand with differentiated products
Characteristics that make the market more oligopolistic:
b. Differentiated products with mutual interdependence. (Differentiated Oligopoly)
c. Single seller of a good or service and collusive agreement. (Collusive oligopoly)
d. Large number of sellers with homogenous products. (Oligopoly)
Monopolistically competitive markets do not have mutual interdependence of firms. A monopolistically competitive market has a large number of firms which cannot collude to gain market power.
Presence of a large number of sellers with homogenous products make the market more like a competitive market. But, this characteristic of homogenous product makes the market less likely to be characterized as a monopolistically competitive market and hence it is put under oligopoly.