A water company is a good example of a natural monopoly because the infrastructure required to deliver water—such as pipes, treatment plants, and distribution systems—requires significant investment and is often not feasible for multiple companies to duplicate. This results in economies of scale, where a single provider can supply water more efficiently and at a lower cost than multiple competing firms. Additionally, having multiple water companies in the same area could lead to inefficiencies and increased costs for consumers, making a single supplier more practical for ensuring consistent and reliable service.
Utilities
Utilities like water and electricity are considered natural monopolies because they involve high fixed costs and it is more efficient to have one provider due to economies of scale.
Water works, and electric company.
They can be, but they don't have to be. "Evil" monopolies seek to control an industry by running their competitors out of business and then establishing inflated prices. A monopoly is the control of a majority of an industry or enterprise. Municipal or regional monopolies for public utilities (water, natural gas, electrical power) are common, and sensible because you don't need or want multiple competitors. However, they are very often poorly regulated, and the consumer has few viable alternatives. And because the primary concern of many companies is a return (profit) for their investors, they can make decisions that are unwise or even harmful to consumers and the general economy. --- A natural monopoly would be the city's water company. There's only ever one water company in town because there's only one set of water pipes. So the water company is a monopoly, but they are usually not an evil one, largely because there are government agencies to keep them from becoming evil.
Perhaps a better question might be "why do monopolies arise" however the current question will do just fine. And better yet, why can they arise in a democratic nation. Here is a summary that answers the monopoly question:A. A monopoly is a company that is the sole seller of a product without close substitutes. A monopoly is able to remain as such in a market only if there are barriers to entry of that market. Basically we have a situation where other companies cannot compete with the monopoly company. There are several reasons for these barriers in an open market society:A1. A key resource of a product is owned by one company. This is rare but as an example, De Beers owns 80% of the diamond mines in South Africa and thus controls the diamond market.A2. The government has given the monopoly company the sole exclusive rightto produce & sell a product. This is common but the monopoly has a 20 year time limit because the US Patent Office has awarded the company a patent. The long term benefit of patent laws is to enhance creativity and intellectual achievement.A3. A natural monopoly arises when a single company can supply a good such as water at a lessor price than two or more other companies can. ( here we have a government overseer dept. to safeguard a runaway market ).
Utilities
The name of the second utility company in the classic version of Monopoly, alongside the "Electric Company," is the "Water Works."
Utilities like water and electricity are considered natural monopolies because they involve high fixed costs and it is more efficient to have one provider due to economies of scale.
A natural monopoly occurs when the most efficient number of firms in the industry is one. A natural monopoly will typically have very high fixed costs meaning that it impractical to have more than one firm producing the good. An example of a natural monopoly is tap water. It makes sense to have just one company providing a network of water pipes and sewers because there are very high capital costs involved in setting up a national network of pipes and sewage systems. To have two different companies offering water, wouldn't make sense as the average cost would be very high compared to just one. There would also be the inconvenience of having two firms dig up the road to lay a duplicate set of water pipes. It usually agrees to allow the government to control the price and service provided. (gradpoint)
In the game Monopoly, the rules for the Electric Company state that if a player lands on it, they can choose to buy it from the bank. If they own both the Electric Company and the Water Works, the rent is 10 times the amount shown on the dice.
Water works, and electric company.
The concept of monopoly applies to the water works and electric company when one company has exclusive control over providing these essential services in a specific area, leading to limited competition and potentially higher prices for consumers.
A water company monopoly limits consumer choice and can lead to higher prices in the market due to lack of competition. Consumers may have fewer options and less control over the cost of water services.
They can be, but they don't have to be. "Evil" monopolies seek to control an industry by running their competitors out of business and then establishing inflated prices. A monopoly is the control of a majority of an industry or enterprise. Municipal or regional monopolies for public utilities (water, natural gas, electrical power) are common, and sensible because you don't need or want multiple competitors. However, they are very often poorly regulated, and the consumer has few viable alternatives. And because the primary concern of many companies is a return (profit) for their investors, they can make decisions that are unwise or even harmful to consumers and the general economy. --- A natural monopoly would be the city's water company. There's only ever one water company in town because there's only one set of water pipes. So the water company is a monopoly, but they are usually not an evil one, largely because there are government agencies to keep them from becoming evil.
In the game of Monopoly, the electric company is a property that players can purchase and own. When another player lands on the electric company space, they must pay rent to the owner. The electric company is one of the utility properties in the game, along with the water works.
Perhaps a better question might be "why do monopolies arise" however the current question will do just fine. And better yet, why can they arise in a democratic nation. Here is a summary that answers the monopoly question:A. A monopoly is a company that is the sole seller of a product without close substitutes. A monopoly is able to remain as such in a market only if there are barriers to entry of that market. Basically we have a situation where other companies cannot compete with the monopoly company. There are several reasons for these barriers in an open market society:A1. A key resource of a product is owned by one company. This is rare but as an example, De Beers owns 80% of the diamond mines in South Africa and thus controls the diamond market.A2. The government has given the monopoly company the sole exclusive rightto produce & sell a product. This is common but the monopoly has a 20 year time limit because the US Patent Office has awarded the company a patent. The long term benefit of patent laws is to enhance creativity and intellectual achievement.A3. A natural monopoly arises when a single company can supply a good such as water at a lessor price than two or more other companies can. ( here we have a government overseer dept. to safeguard a runaway market ).
A natural resource.