Asked by Abigail Kooiker on Jun 01, 2024

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The variety of products and features that consumers may choose from in monopolistically competitive industries

A) at least partially offsets the economic inefficiencies of this market structure.
B) leads to an optimal allocation of resources in the market structure.
C) guarantees that firms produce at full-capacity output levels.
D) makes the demand curves facing firms in these industries perfectly elastic.

Economic Inefficiencies

Circumstances where resources are not optimally allocated, leading to waste or losses in potential value within an economy.

Product Variety

The assortment of different goods or services offered by a firm or market to cater to diverse consumer preferences.

Monopolistically Competitive

A marketplace configuration in which a wide variety of firms supply products that are analogous but not identical, thereby granting them a modicum of market influence.

  • Ascertain the role of product diversity in monopolistic competition in affecting consumer decisions and market efficiency.
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MW
Michael WinslowJun 07, 2024
Final Answer :
A
Explanation :
Monopolistic competition is characterized by many firms offering differentiated products, which leads to some degree of market power for each firm and the ability to charge prices above marginal cost. This differentiation and the variety of products available can provide value to consumers, partially offsetting the economic inefficiencies (like not producing at the minimum of the average total cost curve) associated with monopolistic competition. This market structure does not lead to an optimal allocation of resources (B), guarantee full-capacity production (C), or make demand curves perfectly elastic (D), as firms face downward-sloping demand curves due to product differentiation.