Characteristics of Perfect Competition Market structure
Perfect Competition Market structure is characterized by the following features.
- Many firms (buyers and sellers). There are many sellers and buyers involved in this market structure and therefore, there is no single firm which can influence the market price. Prices are determined by the forces of demand and supply.
- Freedom of entry and exit. Firms are free to enter or leave the industry. When the firms in the industry are making profits, new firms are free to enter and when firms in the industry are making losses, some firms are free to leave the industry.
- Homogenous products. All firms under this market structure sell identical products. These force them to charge a uniform price.
- There is no advertisement. This is because under perfect competition all firms sell homogenous products and they charge a uniform price. Therefore, there is no need to advertise.
- Perfect knowledge about market conditions. There is no ignorance on the side of the buyers about the prevailing market prices, quality of the products etc.
- No government intervention. Under this market structure, the government does not interfere in economic activities in form of taxation and fixing prices for commodities.
- Sellers are price takers. That is, there is no single seller who can influence the price of the commodity. This is because the prices of the commodities are determined by market forces of demand and supply. .
- There is perfect divisibility and mobility of factors of production. That is, there is a possibility of dividing factors of production into smaller units during the production process and factors of production are geographically and occupationally mobile.
- Perfectly elastic demand curve. The demand curve of the firm under perfect competition is perfectly elastic. This is because all firms charge a uniform price and therefore no single firm has the ability to fix its own price.
Note: Pure competition. This is a market structure which satisfies all the features of perfect competition apart from perfect knowledge, mobility and divisibility of factors of production.
CATEGORIES Economics
TAGS Dr. Bbosa Science