Theories of Industrial Organization

The book compares and contrasts various approaches to the analysis of industrial organization. The approaches are grouped under three broad headings - dominant schools, rival approaches and new departures. Under "Dominant Schools", Gavin Reid considers the structure/conduct/performance paradigm, the case study approach and the structural modelling approach. Under "Rival Approaches" he evaluates some approaches which have been neglected, or only partially assimilated into contemporary literature. The final section considers the organizational view of the firm, recent developments in natural monopoly analysis and the theory of contestable markets. The book aims to stimulate the reader into reappraising the manner in which the analysis of industrial organization may be conducted. In particular, it presents a number of alternatives to the widely used structure/conduct/performance paradigm.