Definition of Competition Policy: Government policies to prevent and reduce the abuse of monopoly power. Abuse of monopoly power can lead to market failure and be against the public interest. Therefore Governments are concerned to intervene and protect the interests of the consumers. 1998 Competition Act sought to bring the UK into line with EU …
Changes in price cause signals in the market mechanism. For example, if there is an increase in demand this will lead to a higher price and a movement along the supply curve. However, in the long run, high prices act as an incentive for firms to supply more. Therefore firms will expand their production or …
Distribution of income refers to the relative incomes that people have within an economy. For example, in the UK the poorest 10% of people have roughly only 2.5% of the nations total income. The richest 10% have approximately 35%. This suggests there is a degree of relative poverty because the richest have a bigger % …
Concentration ratio refers to the market share of the largest firms in an industry. For example, a five-firm concentration ratio of 65% means that the five largest firms have more 65% of market sales. If the concentration ratio increased, then one or two firms may start to dominate the market and the firms will be …
In the real world, labour markets are rarely perfectly competitive. This is because workers or firms usually have the power to set and influence wages and therefore wages may be set to levels different than anticipated by Marginal Revenue Product (MRP) theory. Imperfections in the labour market cause wages to differ from a competitive equilibrium. …
Monopoly power occurs when a firm has market dominance in an industry. (for example, more than 40% market share). Abuse of monopoly power could involve setting higher prices or limiting output. Abuse of monopoly power can lead to deadweight welfare loss, less choice, and problems for suppliers. A monopoly diagram In this diagram, the monopoly …
Although controversial, what are the potential advantages of privatising public services? Firstly, privatising means outsourcing of public services to the private sector. For example, this might include Competitive tendering – where private companies are allowed to bid for the right to provide meals for hospitals. NHS outsourcing treatment to private hospitals. To deal with waiting …
A currency carry trade occurs when people borrow in one currency and invest in another country. For example, suppose Japanese interest rates are 0% and US interest rates are 5%. In this case, an investor can buy Yen and borrow from a Japanese bank at 0% interest. He can then exchange Yen for Dollars and …