Welfare Consequences of Spatial Competition: A Note
Treble correct when he states that the integral representing consumer surplus is increasing in D(, where Do stands for market radius for the firm. But he incorrect in his speculation that the CV solution under L6schian competition according/v yields an increasingly smaller consumer surplus in the aggregate. Note that the decreasing surplus with decreasing Do created by each one of the individual firms which are increasing in number under free entrv. The aggregate consumer surplus therefore not necessarily greater under spatial monopoly than it under conditions of spatial competition. In fact, it can readily be shown to be increased, not decreased, with an increasing entry under the CV model. To prove our contention consider the average consumer surplus a la W. Holahan [3] which given below by evaluating Treble's integral S in [4, p. 1328] and in turn dividing both sides of the resulting equation by Do: