Contestability (Edexcel A Level Economics A)
Revision Note
Written by: Steve Vorster
Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn
Characteristics of Contestable Markets
A contestable market occurs when there is freedom of entry into a market and where costs of exit are low
A contestable market and competition are different
Competition is based upon the number of firms competing in a market
A contestable market is based upon the threat of new entrants
Contestable markets are characterised by
No barriers to entry or exit: barriers to entry are low or non-existent and there are no sunk costs. This allows firms to easily join or leave the market
No competitive disadvantages on entry: new firms are able to setup and immediately compete with existing firms and have access to the same technology
Perfect information: There is no proprietary knowledge that would limit competition (e.g. patents)
Hit and run competition: Short-run supernormal profit acts as a profit signaling mechanism and new firms easily enter the market, extract profit, then leave
Implications of Contestable Markets for Firms
The more contestable a market, the more the behaviour of existing competitors may be modified
E.g. Firms making supernormal profit may change their pricing strategy from profit maximisation (MC=MR) to limit pricing
They are even likely to set the price = average cost (AR=AC)
This will reduce hit and run competition
It will result in normal profit
There will be less disruption to the market
The more contestable a market, the more the behaviour of firms resembles that of firms in perfect competition
Types of Barriers to Entry and Exit
Barriers to entry are conditions that make it difficult or expensive for a firm to enter a market in order to compete with the existing suppliers
Barriers to exit are factors that either prevent a firm from leaving a market, or make it difficult to leave even if they are making a loss
Types of barriers to entry
Economies of scale | Legal barriers |
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Ownership of essential resources | Anti-competitive practices by competitors |
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Sunk Costs & the Degree of Contestability
One of the main barriers to exit is the existence of sunk costs
E.g. To enter the industry, the firm may have acquired expensive assets that are highly specialised and difficult to resell
Other examples include money spent on advertising, research and development, branding etc.
If sunk costs in an industry are high, it will limit competition and decrease contestability as firms will be more hesitant to enter
The lower the sunk costs the more contestable the market
The higher the sunk costs the less contestable the market
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