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Perfect Competition, Imperfectly Competitive Markets and Monopoly

Price discrimination

  • 4 things to know
  • Papers 1 and 3

Overview

The conditions it requires, the three degrees, and its effects on output, surplus and welfare.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Numbers

Why must a price-discriminating firm have market power, and what is second-degree price discrimination?

Evaluation

Why must consumer groups differ, and what happens to surplus under first-degree discrimination?

Evaluation

What are the gains and losses from price discrimination?

Evaluation

What administrative costs might reduce the net benefit of price discrimination for firms?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is price discrimination?

    Model answer

    The practice of charging different prices to different consumers for the same product, where the price difference is not justified by cost differences.

  2. 2

    Define first-degree (perfect) price discrimination.

    Model answer

    Charging each consumer the maximum price they are willing to pay for each unit of a product.

  3. 3

    What is second-degree price discrimination?

    Model answer

    Charging different prices based on the quantity purchased, such as offering bulk discounts.

  4. 4

    Define third-degree price discrimination.

    Model answer

    Charging different prices to different groups of consumers based on identifiable characteristics such as age, location, or time of purchase.

  5. 5

    Why must a firm possess market power to practise price discrimination?

    Model answer

    The firm must be a price setter rather than a price taker; without market power, it cannot charge different prices as competition would undercut any attempt to charge above the market price.

  6. 6

    What ability must a firm have regarding consumer identification to price discriminate effectively?

    Model answer

    The firm must be able to identify and separate consumers into distinct groups with different price elasticities of demand.

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