Natural Monopolies
While in the single-output case, economies of scale are a sufficient condition for the verification of a natural monopoly, in the multi-output case, they are neither necessary nor sufficient. Economies of scope are, however, a necessary condition.
As a matter of simplification, it is generally accepted that, should economies of scale and of scope both apply, as well as sunk costs or other entry barriers, then markets may have monopoly features.
Read more about this topic: Economies Of Scope
Famous quotes containing the word natural:
“I’ve always been impressed by the different paths babies take in their physical development on the way to walking. It’s rare to see a behavior that starts out with such wide natural variation, yet becomes so uniform after only a few months.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)