Similarities and differences between monopolistic competition and perfect competition

Perfect competition and monopolistic competition are two types of economic markets.

Similarities

One of the key similarities that perfectly competitive and monopolistically competitive markets share is elasticity of demand in the long-run. In both circumstances, the consumers are sensitive to price; if price goes up, demand for that product decreases. The two only differ in degree. Firm's individual demand curves in perfectly competitive markets are perfectly elastic, which means that an incremental increase in price will cause demand for a product to vanish ). Demand curves in monopolistic competition are not perfectly elastic: due to the market power that firms have, they are able to raise prices without losing all of their customers.

Similarities and differences between monopolistic competition and perfect competition

Demand curve in a perfectly competitive market

This is the demand curve in a perfectly competitive market. Note how any increase in price would wipe out demand.

Also, in both sets of circumstances the suppliers cannot make a profit in the long-run. Ultimately, firms in both markets will only be able to break even by selling their goods and services.

Both markets are composed of firms seeking to maximize their profits. In both of these markets, profit maximization occurs when a firm produces goods to such a level so that its marginalcosts of production equals its marginal revenues.

Differences

One key difference between these two set of economic circumstances is efficiency. A perfectly competitive market is perfectly efficient. This means that the price is Pareto optimal, which means that any shift in the price would benefit one party at the expense of the other. The overall economic surplus, which is the sum of the producer and consumer surpluses, is maximized. The suppliers cannot influence the price of the good or service in question; the market dictates the price. The price of the good or service in a perfectly competitive market is equal to the marginal costs of manufacturing that good or service.

In a monopolistically competitive market the price is higher than the marginal cost of producing the good or service and the suppliers can influence the price, granting them market power. This decreases the consumer surplus, and by extension the market's economic surplus, and creates deadweight loss.

Another key difference between the two is product differentiation. In a perfectly competitive market products are perfect substitutes for each other. But in monopolistically competitive markets the products are highly differentiated. In fact, firms work hard to emphasize the non-price related differences between their products and their competitors'.

A final difference involves barriers to entry and exit. Perfectly competitive markets have no barriers to entry and exit; a firm can freely enter or leave an industry based on its perception of the market's profitability. In a monopolistic competitive market there are few barriers to entry and exit, but still more than in a perfectly competitive market.

March 6, 2022topical index posts

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION AND PERFECT COMPETITION

  • Similarities

 There is free entry and exit in both markets.

  •  There is excess or abnormal profit for both in the short run.
  •  There is a large number of firms in both markets.
  •  Profit is maximized when marginal cost (MC) equals marginal revenue (MR).

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION AND PERFECT COMPETITION

  Monopolistic competition Perfect competition
1 There is product differentiation, i.e. products are heterogeneous. Product are the same, i.e they are homogeneous
2 It has control over price or output, i.e it is a price giver. It has no control over price, i.e it is a price taker.
3 Different prices rule  the market Priced is fixed
4 Price and quantity are determined by the producer or supplier Price and quantity are determined by the interaction of the forces of demand and supply
5 Entry and exit are restricted There is free entry and exit
6 Price is higher than both MC and MR The equilibrium level is established where MC = MR = P
7 There is only one or single producer or supplier or firm of a particular commodity and many buyers There are many buyers and sellers or firms in the industry
8 They can discriminate due to different elasticity of demand for the products. Absence of discrimination because there is perfect elasticity of demand
9 There is under-utilization of resources There is duplication of resources
10 There is no perfect knowledge, i.e. knowledge is limited There is a perfect knowledge of market situation
11 Demand curve is downward sloping It is perfectly inelastic, i.e. it remains the same at all levels of output.
12 Transport cost is included in the price Transport cost is excluded in the price
13 They make abnormal profit in the short and long runs They make abnormal profit only in the short run.
  1. how to establish enterprises
  2. what is a firm
  3. price equilibrium
  4. scale of preference
  5. concept of economics
  6. economic tools for nation building
  7. budgeting
  8. factors affecting the expansion of industries
  9. mineral resources and the mining industries

demand and supply

  1. RINDER PESTS
    148. NEWCASTLE DISEASE
    149. BACTERIA DISEASES
    150. ANTHRAX
    151. BRUCELLOSIS
    152. TUBERCULOSIS
    153. FUNGAL DISEASES

PROTOZOAN DISEASES
155. TRYPONOSOMIASIS

    What is one of the main similarities of perfect competition and monopolistic competition is?

    One of the key similarities that perfectly competitive and monopolistically competitive markets share is elasticity of demand in the long-run. In both circumstances, the consumers are sensitive to price; if price goes up, demand for that product decreases.

    What are 3 differences between perfect competition and monopolistic competition?

    Other differences between perfect and monopolistic competition include the barriers to entry and exit, the slope of the demand curve, average revenue and marginal revenue, product standardization, and price determination among others.

    What is the main difference between perfect competition and monopolistic competition?

    In perfect competition, firms produce identical goods, while in monopolistic competition, firms produce slightly different goods.

    What are the similarity and differences between monopolies and monopolistic competition?

    The monopoly and monopolistic competition are different as the basic difference is the number of players in the markets. A single seller creates a monopoly competition. At the same time, monopolistic competition requires at least two but not many sellers.