condition of entry

condition of entry

an element of MARKET STRUCTURE that refers to the ease or difficulty new suppliers face in entering a market. Market theory indicates that, at one extreme, entry may be entirely ‘free’, with, as in PERFECT COMPETITION, new suppliers being able to enter the market and compete immediately on equal terms with established firms; at the other extreme, in OLIGOPOLY and MONOPOLY markets, BARRIERS TO ENTRY operate, which severely limit the opportunity for new entry. The significance of barriers to entry in market theory is that they allow established firms to secure a long-term profit return in excess of the NORMAL PROFIT equilibrium attained under fully competitive (‘free’ entry) conditions. See MARKET ENTRY, POTENTIAL ENTRANT, LIMIT PRICING.

Collins Dictionary of Economics, 4th ed. © C. Pass, B. Lowes, L. Davies 2005