The Economics of industrial organization / William G. Shepherd

Includes bibliographical references and index.

History of the field -- Theory of performance under competition and monopoly -- Further basic concepts of structure and change -- The nature of the firm -- The firm in the real world -- Capital markets -- Mergers -- Market structure in theory -- Conditions of market structure -- Determinants of structure : concepts -- Determinants of structure : research methods -- Market structure and profitability -- Pricing strategy in oligopoly -- Cooperation among firms -- Price structure and discrimination -- Vertical structure and behavior -- Size and diversification -- Selling expenses, especially advertising -- Performance : efficiency -- Performance : technological change -- Performance : fairness and broader effects -- Antitrust policies -- Regulation -- Further study.

The Sicilian's little monopoly noted by Aristotle in his Politics (see page 15 in Chapter 2) had much the same technical features as our modern versions and, probably, those to come in 1984 and 2001. Of course the scale of market power has grown, but so has our ability to analyze and weigh its economic effects. The phenomenon remains intensely controversial, and so a textbook should offer the teacher a wide range of choice and balance among the specific topics. The student needs to acquire both the tools and equally important a good-humored, skeptical and independent approach to all parts of the subject.