Monopoly vs Free Market Economy

963 Words4 Pages

We are living in a free market economy age where business entities are engaged in competitive practices. This sometimes (if not always) leads to the monopolisation of the market by way of anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominance, mergers and takeovers between business entities which result in distortion of the market. Most countries in the world have enacted competition laws to protect their free market economies and have thereby developed an economic system in which the allocation of resources is determined solely by demand and supply. Although the antitrust laws are very much new to the Indian regulatory framework but the western countries likes US and Canada has this kind of regulatory framework since last decade of the 19th century. Canada became the first country of …show more content…

The Competition Act regulates mergers and acquisitions which results in distortion of the market. The Indian Competition Act is more in line with competition laws across the globe with its focus on promoting and maintaining competition as well as consumer welfare.

.2. Background and Evolution of Competition Law in India

Monopoly imposes heavy costs in every society. It is a conspiracy against the public to raise prices. It hates competition because competition lowers prices to a level which is fair, honest and earned under competitive environment. Adam Smith spoke of ‘the wretched spirit of monopoly’, the ‘mean rapacity, the monopolising spirit’ in which ‘the oppression of the poor must establish the monopoly of rich.’ Monopoly is exercised through market shares gained by buying up or bullying the present competitors out of, and the potential from, the market. The purpose is to earn maximum profit at the cost of consumers and rival competitors, more than the natural profit which the fair and free competition endures. It also destroys

Open Document