What is Oligopoly?
Oligopoly is a market structure with a small number of firms, none of which can keep the others from having significant influence. There is a confusion that duopoly is not a part of oligopoly but that is not true. Duopoly is also one kind of oligopoly.
Characteristics:
- Interdependence: If a small number of big firms constitute an industry and one of these firms starts advertising campaign or design a new model of the product which immediately captures the market, it will surely provoke other firms to make a countermove. Which means the decisions are interdependent.
- Aggressive Advertising: When there are few firms, they start aggressive advertising campaign to achieve large market share.
- Indetermination of demand curve: If a firm reduce the price, other firms will also reduce the price. That is why the demand curve may not change a lot.
- Price Rigidity: If the competitors' product is not so good, the producer will not change the price.
- Few seller many buyer: There are not many seller may be 5 or 10, but there are many buyer.
- The products are differentiated by similar.
- There is no unique pattern of pricing behavior. The price largely depends on the attitude and product differentiation of the competitors.
Types of Oligopoly:
Collusive Oligopoly: It is a form of market in which the existing few firms form a mutual agreement to avoid competition. They form a cartel and fix the output quotas and the market price. The leading firm in the cartel is the price leader. All of the firms in the cartel accept the price as fixed by the price leader.
Non-Collusive Oligopoly: It is a form of market in which there are a few firms and they are independent of the rival firms in the market. They can increase market share through competition in the market.
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