assume that a monopolist faces a demand curve Q =200 - 10P, and marginal cost of $15. Compared with the perfectly competitive market's price, assuming the same demand function and costs hold true, what is the Monopolist's mark up? What is the deadweight loss from Monopoly pricing
Q = 200 - 10P
10P = 200 - Q
P = 20 - 0.1Q
Monopolist maximizes profit by equating Marginal revenue (MR) with Marginal cost (MC).
Total revenue (TR) = P x Q = 20Q - 0.1Q2
MR = dTR/dQ = 20 - 0.2Q
Equating with MC,
20 - 0.2Q = 15
0.2Q = 5
Q = 25
P = 20 - (0.1 x 25) = 25 - 2.5 = $22.5
Mark-up (Over cost) = (P - MC) / MC = $(22.5 - 15) / $15 = $7.5 / $15 = 0.5 (= 50%)
In perfect competition, profit is maximized by equating Price with MC.
20 - 0.1Q = 15
0.1Q = 5
Q = 50
P = MC = $15
Deadweight loss = (1/2) x Difference in price x Difference in quantity = (1/2) x $(22.5 - 15) x (50 - 25)
= (1/2) x $7.5 x 25 = $187.5
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