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Natural Monopoly

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Abstract

Antitrust economics deals with situations of high market concentration and anti-competitive harm in a given industry, with a focus on the activities of private companies. One of the government’s tools to deal with antitrust issues is industry regulation, via the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and similar agencies. Industry regulation applies to private companies but also to publicly owned or quasi-private companies, common examples being utilities—electric companies, water companies, and so on. Such companies are often referred to as “natural monopolies,” the subject of this chapter.

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Gilbert, S. (2018). Natural Monopoly. In: Multi-Market Antitrust Economics. Quantitative Perspectives on Behavioral Economics and Finance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69386-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69386-6_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69385-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69386-6

  • eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)

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