Skip to main content

Oligopoly and Game Theory

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics

Abstract

Oligopoly theory is concerned with market structures in which the actions of individual firms affect and are affected by the actions of other firms. Unlike the polar cases of perfect competition and monopoly, strategic issues are fundamental to the study of such markets. In this entry we will explain some of the central themes of oligopoly theory, both modern and classical, and emphasize the connection between these themes and developments in the noncooperative theory of games.

This chapter was originally published in The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, 1st edition, 1987. Edited by John Eatwell, Murray Milgate and Peter Newman

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Abreu, D. 1986. External equilibria of oligopolistic supergames. Journal of Economic Theory 39: 191–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aumann, R.J., and L. Shapley. 1976. Long term competition – A game theoretic analysis. Unpublished manuscript.

    Google Scholar 

  • Axelrod, R.M. 1984. The evolution of cooperation. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertrand, J. 1883. Théorie mathématique de la richesse social. Journal des Savants 48: 499–508.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cournot, A. 1838. Recherches sur les principes mathématiques de la théorie des richesses. Paris: Hachette. Trans. by N.T. Bacon as Researches into the mathematical principles of the theory of wealth. New York: Macmillan, 1927.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, J.W. 1971. A non-cooperative equilibrium of supergames. Review of Economic Studies 38: 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, J.W. 1977. Oligopoly and the theory of games. Amsterdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fudenberg, D., and E. Maskin. 1986. The folk theorem in repeated games with discounting and with incomplete information. Econometrica 54: 533–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Novshek, W. 1980. Cournot equilibrium with free entry. Review of Economic Studies 47: 473–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubinstein, A. 1979. Equilibrium in supergames with the overtaking criterion. Journal of Economic Theory 21: 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, L. 1984. Bertrand, the Cournot paradigm and the theory of perfect competition. Review of Economic Studies 51: 209–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Stackelberg, H. 1934. Marktform und Gleichgewicht. Vienna: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 1987 The Author(s)

About this entry

Cite this entry

Sonnenschein, H. (1987). Oligopoly and Game Theory. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_1890-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_1890-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-95121-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics