Sentence:  For the industry of this model , the effect of such public pressures in the past has <WSD>been</WSD> to hold the price well below the short-run profit maximizing price ( given the wage rate and the level of GNP ) , and even below the entry limited price ( but not below average cost ) . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)