Re:Jeff Bezos Escapes Scrutiny from His Own Paper–and Its Ri...
by dredmorbius on Saturday July 29, 2017 @09:01PM
(#14883839)
The term has a specific meaning in economics: a natural monopoly occurs when the most efficient number of firms in a market is one.
This can occur through a number of dynamics, generally attributed to economies of scale, though network effects also come into play.
I'm exploring the idea that monopolies (natural or otherwise) are almost always strongly tied to network phenomena (not just in a physical sense), and are largely synonymous with the concept of economic rent.
There are a number of elements which accompany monopoly status, only some of which are strictly economic. Many of the others involve overt political or other power.
This can occur through a number of dynamics, generally attributed to economies of scale, though network effects also come into play.
I'm exploring the idea that monopolies (natural or otherwise) are almost always strongly tied to network phenomena (not just in a physical sense), and are largely synonymous with the concept of economic rent.
There are a number of elements which accompany monopoly status, only some of which are strictly economic. Many of the others involve overt political or other power.