On the origins of the concept of natural monopoly论自然垄断概念的起源.pptVIP

On the origins of the concept of natural monopoly Manuela Mosca Paris, 2 février 2011 Université Panthéon Assas (Paris 2) Natural monopoly The most efficient number of firms is one The socially optimal market structure has only one seller Efficiency is achived with only one firm producing The problem Dupuit (1852-53): transport network is a monopoly spontaneously generated for reasons linked to the technology of the industry recognition of non-legal restraints to competition HET Literature how monopoly power was explained in the history of economic thought? Bain (1956): the causes of firms’ market power are entry barriers economists’ ideas on “barriers to entry” before Bain (1956) there was a gap in the literature on the sources of monopoly power Scale economies one of the sources of monopoly power: economies of scale scale economies over the entire range of market demand are incompatible with competition this incompatibility is crucial in identifying natural monopoly Historical problems Who discovered this incompatibility? Who formalized it for the first time? Why some didn’t believe in it? Which were economists’ ideas on the policy treatment of natural monopoly? My aims To contribute to the history of the concept To reconstruct the origins of the concept To find out policy implications To providing a sound basis for further research Method (1) History of analysis What are we talking about? Definition of the concept History of the concept Method (2) Mainly “rational reconstruction”: absolutist approach; thin, Whig history reading the past from the perspective of a given theory Limits of this perspective: Focused on the theory No contextualization In retrospect Continuity in the HET Past as a progression from errors to truth Method (3) extract parts concerning natural monopoly no implication of a progression from errors to truth a progressive decline! Method (4) a first step: clarifying confusions found priorities and inf