Questions on perfect competition

Perfect competition

Question 1

1. If all firms operated in ‘perfectly competitive markets’, what benefits would be generated? Use a diagram to support your answer.
2. ‘A firm under perfect competition is faced with a perfectly elastic demand curve’. Do you agree? Justify your answer.
3. Mythica is an economy that used to operate under a military dictatorship, but has recently reformed and encouraged ‘free-market capitalism’ and free trade between itself and the rest of the world. Assume that the global market for product X is currently perfectly competitive, with a global price of $100. A new firm starts up in Mythica selling product X, and, so far, it is the only supplier. It currently sells product X for $150.
   1. Using diagrams, explain what is likely to happen to the market for product X in Mythica, assuming free trade.
   2. Comment on prices, output and profits for firms in Mythica over the next 5 years.