Topics
Microeconomic Theory
Demand
- Introduction to Microeconomics and Macroeconomics
- Microeconomics
- Macroeconomics
- Macroeconomics Vs Microeconomics
- Introduction to Demand
- Meaning of Demand
- Features of Demand
- Types of Demand
- Determinants of Demand
- Demand Function
- Quantity Demanded and Demand
- Law of Demand
- Demand Schedule
- Demand Curve
- Individual Demand Curve to Market Demand Curve
- Slope of the Demand Curve
- Linear Demand Curve
- Reasons for the Downward Slope of the Demand Curve
- Importance of the Law of Demand
- Exceptions to the Law of Demand
- Movement Along the Demand Curve
- Change in Demand – Shift in Demand Curve
- Difference Between Extension and Increase in Demand
- Difference Between Contraction and Decrease in Demand
- Cross Price Effects
- Relationship Between Income and Demand
- Impact of Tastes and Preferences on Demand for a Commodity
- Industry Demand Vs Firm Demand
- Concept of Utility
- Cardinal Utility Analysis / Marginal Utility Analysis
- Types of Marginal Utility
- Total Utility and Marginal Utility
- Forms of Utility
- Features of Utility
- Relationship Between Total Utility and Marginal Utility
- Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility
- Exceptions of the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility
- Importance of the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility
- Consumer's Equilibrium through Cardinal Utility Approach
- Law of Equi-Marginal Utility
- Exceptions of the Law of Equi-marginal Utility
- Importance of the Law of Equi-marginal Utility
- Ordinal Utility Analysis/Indifference Curve Analysis
- Indifference Schedule
- Indifference Curve
- Indifference Map
- Marginal Rate of Substitution (MRS)
- Assumptions of Indifference Curve Analysis
- Properties of Indifference Curves
- Price Line or Budget Line
- Consumer's Equilibrium through Indifference Curve Approach
- Comparison of Utility Theory and Indifference Curve Theory
- Consumer's Equilibrium through Indifference Curve Approach
- Relationship Between Marginal Rate of Substitution and Marginal Utility
Theory of Income and Employment
Elasticity of Demand
- Introduction to Elasticity of Demand
- Meaning and Types of Elasticity of Demand
- Price Elasticity of Demand
- Classification of Price Elasticity - Degrees of Price Elasticity of Demand
- Methods of Measuring Price Elasticity of Demand
- Percentage or Proportionate Method
- Total Expenditure Method
- Point Method (Geometric Method)
- Arc Elasticity of Demand
- Revenue Method
- Numerical Problems of Price Elasticity of Demand
- Factors Affecting Price Elasticity of Demand
- Importance of Elasticity of Demand
- Income Elasticity of Demand
- Types of Income Elasticity of Demand
- Importance of Income Elasticity
- Cross Elasticity of Demand
- Туpes of Cross Elasticity of Demand
- Limitations of Cross Elasticity of Demand
- Importance of Cross Elasticity of Demand
Supply
- Concept of Supply
- Individual and Market Supply
- Distinction Between Supply and Stock
- Determinants of Supply
- Supply Function
- Law of Supply
- Supply Schedule
- Supply Curve
- Derivation of Market Supply Curve From Individual Supply Curves
- Explanation of the Law of Supply
- Time Period and Supply
- Exceptions to the Law of Supply
- Movement Along the Supply Curve Or Expansion and Contraction of Supply
- Shift of the Supply Curve or Change in Supply
- Expansion of Supply and Increase in Supply
- Contraction of Supply and Decrease in Supply
- Elasticity of Supply
- Meaning and Types of Elasticity of Demand
- Price Elasticity of Supply
- Categories (Degrees) of Elasticity of Supply
- Measurement of Elasticity of Supply > Percentage Method
- Measurement of Elasticity of Supply > Geometric or Point Method
- Determinants of Elasticity of Supply
- Importance of Elasticity of Supply
Money and Banking
Balance of Payments and Exchange Rate
Market Mechanism
- Introduction to Market Mechanism
- Basic Concepts of Equilibrium and Equilibrium Price
- Equilibrium Price and Quantity in a Competitive Market
- Changes in Equilibrium
- Effects of Changes (Shifts) in Demand on Equilibrium Price and Equilibrium Quantity
- Effects of Changes (Shifts) in Supply on Equilibrium Price and Equilibrium Quantity
- Effects of Simultaneous Changes (Shifts) in Demand and Supply
- Some Special Cases of Equilibrium
- Importance of the Element in the Determination of Price
- Applications of Tools of Demand and Supply Price Control
- Mаximum Price Legislation or Price Ceiling and Rationing
- Minimum Price Legislation or Floor Price
- Important Areas of Applications of Tools of Demand and Supply Curves
- Meaning of Perfect Competition
- Assumptions and Conditions of Perfect Competition
- Pure and Perfect Competition
- Time Element in the Theory of Price Determination
- Determination of Equilibrium Prices
- Normal Price and Law of Returns
- Comparison between Market Price and Normal Price
- Practical Applications of Tools of Demand and Supply Analysis
Public Finance
Concepts of Production
- Concept of Production
- Product
- Factors of Production
- Production Function
- Short-run and Long-run
- Features of Production Function
- Types of Production Functions
- Some Basic Concepts - Total, Average and Marginal Physical Products
- Relationship between Average Product (AP) and Marginal Product (MP)
- Relationship between Total Product (TP) and Marginal Product (MP)
- Returns to a Factor - Laws of Returns to a Variable Factor
- Law of Variable Proportions
- Statement of the Law of Variable Proportions
- Assumptions of the Law of Variable Proportions
- Illustration of the Law of Variable Proportions
- Three Stages of Production
- Explanation of the Law of Variable Proportions
- Stages of Operation and the Decision to Produce
- Conditions Or Causes of Applicability
- Applicability of the Law of Variable Proportions
- Changes in Production
- Returns to a Factor or Law of Returns
- Law of Variable Proportions and Returns to Scale Compared
- Variation of Output in the Long Run - Returns to Scale
- Scale of Production
- Concept of Indivisibility
- Economies of Scale
- Diseconomies of Scale
National Income
Cost and Revenue
- Introduction to Cost of Production
- Money Cost Or Accounting Cost / Explicit Cost
- Economic Cost
- Opportunity Cost
- Real Cost
- Private and Social Cost
- Fixed Cost and Variable Cost
- Different Cost Concepts
- Total Cost Curves
- Average Cost Curves
- Marginal Cost (MC)
- Relationship between Average and Marginal Cost
- Long-Run Cost Curves
- Long-run Average Cost (LAC) Curve
- Long-run Marginal Cost (LMC) Curve
- LAC Curve U-shaped - Economies and Diseconomies of Scale
- Numerical Problems Long-run Cost Curves
- Revenue Concepts
- Behaviour of Revenue Under Different Market Structures
- Relationship Between Total, Average and Marginal Revenues Under Perfect Competition
- Relationship Between Total, Average and Marginal Revenue Under Imperfect Competition
- Significance of Revenue Curve
- Numerical Problems of Revenue
Main Market Forms and Equilibrium of a Firm
- Concept of Market
- Market Structure
- Factors Determining Market Forms
- Perfect Competition
- Features of Perfect Competition
- Pure and Perfect Competition
- Monopoly
- Features of Monopoly
- Monopolistic Competition
- Features of Monopolistic Competition
- Oligopoly
- Features of Oligopoly
- Monopsony
- Features of Monopsony
- Duopoly
- Characteristics of Duopoly
- Bilateral Monopoly
- Other Forms of Market
- Factors Determining Market / Extent of Market
- Demand Curves of Firms under Different Market Forms
- Comparison between different forms of market
- Difference Between Imperfect Competition and Monopolistic Competition
- Firm : An Economic Entity
- Profit Maximisation Objective
- The Definition of Profits
- Rules for Profit-Maximisation
- Producer's (Firm's) Equilibrium: Total Revenue and Total Cost Approach
- Producer's (Firm's) Equilibrium: Marginal Revenue and Marginal Cost Approach
- Short-run Equilibrium
- Long-run Equilibrium
- Firm is a Price Taker, Not a Price Maker
- Equilibrium of Industry
- Difference Between Firm and Industry's Equilibrium
- Meaning of a Producer
- Producer's Equilibrium under Perfect Competition
- Determination of Price and Equilibrium Under Monopoly
- Monopoly Equilibrium and Laws of Costs
- Price Discrimination or Discriminating Monopoly
- Price and Output Discrimination Under Discriminating Monopoly
- Measures of Monopoly Power
- Nature of Demand and Cost Curves
- Equilibrium Price and Output under Monopolistic Competition
- Group Equilibrium in Monopolistic Competition
- Product Differentiation
- Selling Costs
- Equilibrium with Selling Costs
- Price and Output Under Oligopoly Indeterminate
- Price and Output Determination under Oligopoly
- Price Rigidity-Sweezy's Kinky Demand Curve Model or Equilibrium under Independent Action
- Reasons for Price Stability
- Cournot's Model
- Collusive Oligopoly
- Mergers
Estimated time: 14 minutes
- Independent pricing in oligopoly
- Collusive pricing
- Price leadership
- Real-Life Application
- Key Points: Price and Output Determination under Oligopoly
CISCE: Class 12
Independent pricing in oligopoly
Small heading: No fixed rule
Under oligopoly, there is no single rule for price; firms may act independently and later change strategy.
Case A: Homogeneous (same) products
- Products are very similar (e.g., petrol, basic steel, cement).
- Price‑setting becomes uncertain:
Price war: One firm cuts price, others follow; profits fall for all.
Price rigidity: Firms avoid changing price because rivals copy cuts but not rises, so prices stay sticky.
Analogy:
Imagine three shops selling the same notebook; if one cuts price, others must follow or lose customers; if all cut, everyone earns less.
Case B: Differentiated (different) products
- Products differ in brand, features, quality, or service (e.g., different toothpastes, smartphones).
- Each firm has some monopoly power over its brand and tries to maximise profit by independently setting price.
- But if this hurts all firms, they may later collude (secretly agree) to avoid losses.
Analogy:
Think of two ice‑cream brands: one focuses on organic cream, the other on fancy toppings; both can charge extra because of their unique features instead of just cutting price.
CISCE: Class 12
Collusive pricing
Simple definition
- Collusive pricing happens when firms cooperate instead of competing.
- They agree on common prices and sometimes output to avoid price wars and keep profits high.
Cartels: one method of collusion
- A cartel is a formal group of firms that jointly decide:
What price to charge, and
How much each firm will produce. - Firms sell at the agreed price, acting almost like a single monopoly.
Example:
Oil‑producing countries sometimes form a cartel to control global oil price and output.
Why is collusion unstable
-
Cartel prices are not permanent because:
Firms differ in costs and efficiency.
Some may cheat (sell more secretly) to grab extra profit.
Market changes and new firms disturb the agreement over time.
CISCE: Class 12
Price leadership
Simple definition
- Price leadership is a form of soft collusion where one firm sets the price and others follow.
- The leader is often the largest, oldest, or most informed firm.
Types of price leadership
CISCE: Class 12
Real-Life Application
- Mobile networks/telecom: A leading operator changes data or call rates; others usually follow quickly (price leadership).
- Petrol brands: Major oil companies often move prices together (implicit collusion or tacit price leadership).
- Airline ticket pricing: One carrier cuts fares; others often match to avoid losing passengers (price war or tacit price leadership).
CISCE: Class 12
Key Points: Price and Output Determination under Oligopoly
- Under oligopoly, price determination is uncertain due to interdependence of firms.
- Independent pricing may lead to price war or price rigidity (homogeneous products) or profit-maximising prices (differentiated products).
- Collusive pricing occurs when firms form a cartel and fix price and output jointly, though it is often unstable.
- Price leadership occurs when one firm fixes the price and others follow (barometric, dominant, aggressive, or effective), but it may fail due to cost differences, new firms, or lack of agreement.
