If all the assumptions of perfect competition hold, why would firms in such an industry have little incentive to carry out technological change or much research and development? What conditions would encourage research and development in competitive industries?

1. In a Perfectly Competitive Market firms will always copy the products of other firms to make profit which will drive down the Profitability of the original firm. If firms in a Perfect Competition engage in Research and Development for new products and Technology, they would be incurring a massive expense on their part because such undertakings are not cheap. Were they to succeed and come up with a new product, that Product would be copied within a short period of time by their competitors who did not put up the amount of Investment that the original company did. This is what firms in Perfectly Competitive Markets are trying to avoid.

b. Government Intervention in the form  of enforcing Patents, Copyright Protection and Intellectual Property will be needed. If firms can be sure that when they come with a new product, their rights to it will be protected in such a way that they make enough returns from it, they will engage in these R&D endeavors to be able to have an edge over their competitors in the market.

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