CultureAugust 17, 2026

oligopoly

OL-uh-gah-puh-lee

Definition

A market structure where a small number of large firms dominate the industry, controlling the majority of production or supply.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek 'oligos' meaning 'few' and 'polein' meaning 'to sell.' It entered English to describe economic situations where a small group of sellers exerts significant influence over a market.

In the news

The article uses this term to describe how a handful of major production companies dominated the Indonesian film industry even after the political changes of Reformasi, demonstrating the persistence of centralized economic power.

Indonesian Cinema after the New Order: Going Mainstream (2020) by Thomas Barker Book Review

Read the full article ↗

Asian Movie Pulse

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