微观经济学第12章 节 垄断.ppt

* * * * * Price discrimination may not be fair, but it is efficient Be sure that the students understand that aside from equity considerations, resources will be allocated more efficiently in a monopoly market under any price discrimination scenario than under a single-price scenario. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The classic monopoly diagram The classic monopoly diagram, Figure 12.4(b) provides a good opportunity to tell your students about the contribution of one of the most brilliant economists of the 20th century, Joan Robinson. This diagram first appeared in her book, The Economics of Imperfect Competition, published in 1933 when she was just 30 years old. You can learn more about Joan Robinson at /het/profiles/robinson.htm (or use the link on the Economics Place Web site). Women are still not attracted to economics on the scale that they’re attracted to most other disciplines. So the opportunity to talk about an outstanding female economist shouldn’t be lost. Joan Robinson was a formidable debater and reveled in verbal battles, a notable one of which was with Paul Samuelson on one of her visits to MIT. Anxious to make and illustrate a point, Samuelson asked Robinson for the chalk. Monopolizing the chalk and the blackboard, the unyielding Robinson snapped, “Say it in words young man.” Samuelson meekly obeyed. This story illustrates Joan Robinson’s approach to economics: work out the answers to economic problems using the appropriate techniques of math and logic, but then “say it in words.” Don’t be satisfied with formal argument if you don’t understand it. Your students will benefit from this story if you can work it into your class time. * * * * * * * * * * * Monopoly is inefficient. The inefficiency of monopoly is one of the key propositions in this chapter. Because P MR, and because MR = MC, P MC—single-price monopoly under-produces and creates deadweight loss. Rent seeking uses further resources so potentially the social cost of monopoly is the