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Reference.org
State monopoly
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Economics/HYctA2Dn">economics</a>, a government monopoly or public monopoly is a form of <a href="/facts/Coercive_monopoly/T5p298Dr">coercive monopoly</a> in which a <a href="/facts/Government/N4bYL0VC">government</a> agency or <a href="/facts/Government_corporation/yml2hFlI">government corporation</a> is the sole provider of a particular good or service and competition is prohibited by law. It is a monopoly created, owned, and operated by the government. It is usually distinguished from a <a href="/facts/Government-granted_monopoly/91S8rs03">government-granted monopoly</a>, where the government grants a monopoly to a private individual or company. </p><p>A government monopoly may be run by any level of government—national, regional, local; for levels below the national, it is a <a href="/facts/Local_monopoly/BXIQWUmR">local monopoly</a>. The term state monopoly usually means a government monopoly run by the national government. </p>