What is a Monopoly?
A pure monopoly industry is an industry with only one seller, A near monopoly is an industry in which one seller dominates the industry. Typically a monopoly firm is a large company that sells a product for which there are no close substitutes.
Reasons for Monopoly Forming
Monopolies or near monopolies typically develop because of one of more of the following:
1. Legal barriers.
The government prohibits competitors from entering the market. For example, gas and electric suppliers, cable television providers, the United States Postal Service, and Amtrak are given exclusive rights to supply their products in the market.
2. Patents and copyrights.
The government provides a company the sole rights to supply a product or a component of a product, which is patented or copyrighted. Patents and copyrights protect companies’ innovations that have been expensive to research, develop, and market. For example, many medical devices and medicines are patented.
3. Licenses.
Governments require licenses by, for example, lawyers, doctors, accountants, and taxi drivers in order to protect consumers, as well as suppliers.
4. Trade restrictions.
Governments impose tariffs, quotas, and other import restrictions to protect domestic producers.
5. Exclusive ownership of resources.
Some companies, such as the De Beers diamond company, owned most of the resources to supply the product until recently. This serves as a barrier to entering the industry. The OPEC countries owned the vast majority of the known oil reserves a few decades ago.
6. Economies of scale.
In some industries, large firms can produce at a lower average cost than smaller firms. The lower average cost allows the larger firm to be more profitable and expand at a faster rate than smaller firms. Frequently, the larger firm acquires smaller firms and eventually takes control of the market.
The Two Types of Monopolies
Reasons 1 through 4 above are government-imposed barriers to entering an industry. Reasons 5 and 6 are market forces that encourage monopoly forming. Therefore, we distinguish between these two types of monopolies:
1. Government-granted monopolies
2. Free market monopolies
Government-granted monopolies include utility companies, such as large electricity companies. These companies are often the sole providers of natural gas and electricity within a certain region.
Another example of a government-granted monopoly is the United States Postal Service, which has a monopoly in delivering first class letters and issuing passports. Local telephone companies, cable service providers, Amtrak, and several major professional sports leagues are also government-granted monopolies. In general, government-granted monopolies have less incentive to innovate. They usually do not provide the best and most-efficient service to their customers, because they face no competition and have no incentive to cut costs. If they incur a loss, the government often provides financial assistance.
Professionals, such as doctors, dentists, and lawyers, are officially part of the free market. However, they have received support from government legislation to restrict entry into their profession by making it more difficult for newly aspiring doctors, dentists, or lawyers to obtain licenses. This gives existing professionals a considerable amount of monopoly power.
Another government granted-monopoly is the government itself. The government provides many services (issuing driver’s licenses and car registrations, operating parks, administrating a retirement system (Social Security) and health care system (Medicaid and Medicare), creating laws and controlling facilities usage for which there is no competition. The political party system in the United States, practically speaking, consists of only two parties (this is a duopoly). This does not provide voters much choice, and results in a tendency for the two political parties to be inefficient and ineffective. Many other countries around the world have a multiple party system (10 or more). Parties in this system face much stiffer competition and are encouraged to operate more effectively. In addition, citizens can vote for a party that is much closer to their actual beliefs.
The United States public school system is a near monopoly. There are private schools, but because of the high price, this option is not available for most families. If families cannot afford a private school, parents are told by their local government that their children are required to attend the public school in their district. The public school is essentially a monopoly for these families. Some households move to another district if they don’t like the school in their old district. However, the school board can redraw the school district lines at will. This lack of choice and lack of competition is one of the main contributors to the relatively low quality of education in most public school districts in the United States. If you are shopping for a computer, and the only store you can go to is the Best Buy on Main Street (because that is the only computer store allowed by the local government in your area), how would you feel and what kind of service do you think you would receive?
Free market monopolies include private sector companies that have a significant share of their industry, not by government law, but by earning superior sales numbers. The De Beers company once dominated the wholesale diamond industry. Some newspapers (Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, LA Times) have obtained a local monopoly or near monopoly position in their regional areas. Google dominates the Internet search industry (92%), and also has a significant share of the smart phone operating systems (Android) in the world (75%). In addition, Google continues to grow its monopoly power in online maps (70%), online videos (YouTube – 73%) and Internet browsers (Google Chrome – 66%). Amazon has a significant share of the United States Ecommerce market with just over 50% of all online retail deliveries.
Free market monopolies have earned their dominant status through efficient economic practices and economies of scale. They have grown large mostly because of innovation and cost-cutting. Because there is still the threat of competition, a free market monopoly has to remain efficient, continue to innovate, and keep prices low. If it does not, it will lose its status as the dominant power in the industry.
Despite these firms’ value to the economy, they often come under attack. Many people criticize Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Walmart for being too big and too dominant and for abusing their monopoly position by imposing anti-competitive rules. Microsoft has been taken to court multiple times, as has Google. If these firms apply rules that illegally stifle competition or hurt workers or consumers, then the legal system must intervene. But if they have not violated any rules, one can argue that they have worked hard to achieve success in the market, are employing large amounts of workers at competitive wages, and are providing a service that satisfies consumers’ needs, so why break them up or take them to court?
I don’t think that public education is the same for monopoly. I get the idea, but I feel like it’s education, and charter schools shouldn’t treat education like it’s a pizza shop.
Thank you for your feedback. Education is, of course, not pizza. However, what is the harm of competition in education if it promotes higher quality teaching and learning? Charter schools, by and large, have proven to be effective (the graduation rate, the student and parent satisfaction and the overall learning outcomes have proven this). I personally grew up in a country (The Netherlands) where we had school choice. By forcing schools to compete, they work harder to provide quality education and students benefit. The practical monopoly system of the public school system in the United States (wealthy people may be able to send their children to private schools, but lower income households have no choice and for them it is a monopoly) has held back the quality of education for many children. This hurts especially children from poor households and worsens the inequality in this country.
This is absolutely correct and eye opening. There is no reason why it should not be your choice to send your child to any public school if it has enough room. The only reason I can think of is so that that they can teach your children what ever they want. As schools are teaching (brainwashing) students more and more about certain ideals, the can get a huge mass of people to grow up thinking one way or another, weather it be good or bad. kinda conspiracy theory-ish but just something to think about.
Well said, Jack. Thank you.