ECON 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Comparative Advantage, International Trade, Autarky

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greenmarten520

13 Jun 2018

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The united states in the international economy:

● factors that have increased international trade:

○ decreasing costs of shipping products around the world

○ spread of inexpensive and reliable communications

○ changes in government policies

● tariff: a tax imposed by government on imports

● imports: goods and services bought domestically but produced in other countries

○ rate has gone down substantially over time

○ most tariffs between Canada, Mexico and the US were eliminated

● Exports: goods and services produced domestically but sold in other countries

The importance of trade to the U.S. economy:

● U.S. consumers buy increasing quantities of goods and services produced in other countries

○ also sell increasing quantities

● not a sectors of US econ. are affected equally by international trade

○ a large % of us agricultural production is exported

● 2/3 of manufacturing industry depend on exports for at least 10 jobs

U.S. International Trade in a World Context:

● US = second largest exporter in the world (behind china)

● International trade = less important to the US than it is to many other countries, with imports and

exports being lower % of FDP

○ i saller coutries it’s a lot ore iportat

Comparative Advantage in International Trade:

● governments are more likely to interfere with international trade than the are with domestic trade

○ reasons are more political than economic

A brief review of comparative advantage:

● comparative advantage: the ability of an individual, a firm, or a country to produce a good or service

at a lower opportunity cost than competitors

● opportunity cost: the highest valued alternative that must be given up to engage in an activity

Comparative Advantage and Absolute Advantage:

● countries are better off if they specialize in producing the goods for which they have a comparative

advantage

How countries gain from international trade:

● Autarky: a situation in which a country does not trade with other countries

Increasing consumption through trade:

● terms of trade = the ratio at which a country can trade its exports for imports from other countries

○ both will be able to consume more than they could w/o trade

Why do’t we see coplete specialization:

● many goods and services are produced in more than one country -

○ not all goods and services are traded internationally:

■ some goods are specific from country to country

○ Production of most goods involves increasing opportunity costs

○ tastes for products differ:

■ most products are differentiated -come with a wide variety of features and

preferences change from country to country

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ECON 101 Full Course Notes

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The united states in the international economy: factors that have increased international trade: Decreasing costs of shipping products around the world. Changes in government policies spread of inexpensive and reliable communications tariff: a tax imposed by government on imports imports: goods and services bought domestically but produced in other countries rate has gone down substantially over time. Most tariffs between canada, mexico and the us were eliminated. Exports: goods and services produced domestically but sold in other countries. The importance of trade to the u. s. economy: U. s. consumers buy increasing quantities of goods and services produced in other countries. Not a sectors of us econ. are affected equally by international trade. A large % of us agricultural production is exported. 2/3 of manufacturing industry depend on exports for at least 10 jobs. Us = second largest exporter in the world (behind china)

Question 1

In 2003, the ________ ruled that U.S. tariffs on steel imported from the EU were unfair and allowed the EU to issue retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products.

World Trade Organization

United Nations

European Central Bank

International Human Rights Commission

Question 2

The idea of the U.S.-Canadian Free-Trade Agreement that ________ barriers to trade including tariffs and quotas between the United States and Canada by 1998 was to increase the amount that the United States exports to Canada and the amount that the United States imports from Canada.

increased all

removed some

removed all

increased some

Question 3

According to the theory of comparative advantage, a country should specialize and ________ goods with ________ opportunity cost.

import; the lowest

import; negative

export; the lowest

export; the highest

Question 4

A quota is a restriction on imports.

True

False

Question 5

If Holland decreases subsidies to its tulip growers, the price of tulips in the United States will rise.

True

False

Question 6

According to comparative advantage, trade between two countries allows ________ of the trading countries to use its resources most efficiently.

only the smaller

only the larger

neither

each

Question 7

________ U.S. president(s) who has/have held office since GATT was signed has argued for free-trade policies, yet each one has used his powers to protect various sectors of the economy.

Only one

No

Every

Only 3

Question 8

In 1991, the European Union began the process of forming the

		largest free-trade zone in the world.
		only continental military force in the world.
		first international trade agreement in the world.
		first unified currency in the world.

Question 9
1. The Smoot-Hawley tariff set off an international trade war in the
  
  1930s.
  
  1950s.
  
  1970s.
  
  1990s.
  
  Please help me with these questions Thank you.

magentadeer293

The difference between a free trade area and a customs union is, in brief, that the first is politically straightforward but an administrative headache, while the second is just the opposite.

Consider first the case of a customs union. Once such a union is established, tariff administration is relatively easy: Goods must pay tariffs when they cross the border of the union, but from then on can be shipped freely between countries. A cargo that is unloaded at Marseilles or Rotterdam must pay duties there, but will not face any additional charges if it then goes by truck to Munich.

To make this simple system work, however, the countries must agree on tariff rates: The duty must be the same whether the cargo is unloaded at Marseilles, Rotterdam, or for that matter Hamburg because otherwise, importers would choose the point of entry that minimized their fees. So a customs union requires that Germany, France, the Netherlands, and all the other countries agree to charge the same tariffs. This is not easily done: Countries are, in effect, ceding part of their sovereignty to a supranational entity, the European Union.

This has been possible in Europe for a variety of reasons, including the belief that economic unity would help cement the post-war political alliance between European democracies.

But elsewhere these conditions are lacking. The three nations that formed NAFTA would find it very difficult to cede control over tariffs to any supranational body; if nothing else, it would be hard to devise an arrangement that would give due weight to U.S. interests without effectively allowing the United States to dictate trade policy to Canada and Mexico. NAFTA, therefore, while it permits Mexican goods to enter the United States without tariffs and vice versa, does not require that Mexico and the United States adopt a common external tariff on goods they import from other countries.

This, however, raises a different problem. Under NAFTA, a shirt made by Mexican workers can be brought into the United States freely. But suppose that the United States wants to maintain high tariffs on shirts imported from other countries, while Mexico does not impose similar tariffs. What is to prevent someone from shipping a shirt from, say, Bangladesh to Mexico, then putting it on a truck bound for Chicago?

The answer is that even though the United States and Mexico may have free trade, goods shipped from Mexico to the United States must still pass through a customs inspection. And they can enter the United States without duty only if they have documents providing that they are in fact Mexican goods, not trans-shipped imports from third countries.

But what is a Mexican shirt? If a shirt comes from Bangladesh, but Mexicans sew on the buttons, does that make it Mexican? Probably not. But if everything except the button were made in Mexico, it probably should be considered Mexican. The point is that administering a free trade area that is not a customs union requires not only that the countries continue to check goods at the border, but that they specify an elaborate set of ârules of originâ that determine whether a good is eligible to cross the border without paying a tariff.

As a result, free trade agreements like NAFTA impose a large burden of paperwork, which may be a significant obstacle to trade even when such trade is in principle free.

Question:

1. From this case, what is the main difference between a free-trade area and a customs union?

2. Why are rules of origin needed for a free-trade area? How might they be protectionist?

pearbuffalo387

Question 6: Which of the following economic goals focuses on equal opportunities for education? (5 points)

-Equity

-Freedom

-Growth

-Security

Question 7: Marcel takes out student loans and works part-time to put himself through college. In time, he earns an advanced medical degree and goes to work in an understaffed city -hospital. Marcel's economic decisions benefit the goal of efficiency by (5 points)

-making his own job

-related decisions

-paying back loans to reduce the debt

-contributing to the nation's productivity

-taking advantage of equal opportunities

Question 8: Two countries produce milk and dairy products efficiently. Neither has an absolute advantage. However, Country A exports milk to Country B, and Country A imports cotton from Country B. Which of the following is inferred? (5 points)

-The opportunity cost of producing milk is lower for Country A.

-The opportunity cost of producing cotton is higher for Country B.

-Country A has a natural resource advantage in cotton.

-Country B has a natural resource advantage in milk.

Question 9: Worker hours to produce one unit of natural gas; Worker hours to produce one unit of oil; Brazil 4 9; Argentina 2 10; Mexico 3 7; United States 1 6. According to the chart, which country has the comparative advantage in oil production? (5 points)

-Brazil

-Mexico

-Argentina

-United States

Question 10: The United States can manufacture books at a much more rapid pace than manufacturers in Indonesia. Which of the following is a reason? (5 points)

-Indonesia, as a developed country, has a highly paid and experienced workforce

-Indonesia, as a developing country, has a less advanced manufacturing infrastructure

-The United States, as a developing country, has a high comparative advantage in manufacturing.

-The United States, as a developed country, has a lower cost of living than Indonesia

Question 11: A group of nations establishes a free-trade zone. What is the most likely effect? (5 points)

-Cost of trade increases

-Exports decrease

-Imports decrease

-Trade increases

Question 12: The United States may have a tariff on cotton products from China in order to (5 points)

-prevent Chinese manufacturers from losing profit because of low prices

-protect the business of the American cotton growers and manufacturers

-stop trade due to political disagreement on economic policy

-promote sales in the United States of cotton products from China

Question 13: A Chinese international salesperson hoping to increase exports to the U.S. may worry about the inflation of the U.S. dollar because the inflation may (5 points)

-increase the United States' supply of Chinese products

-decrease tariffs on Chinese products sold to the United States

-increase taxes on the United States' products sold to China

-reduce the United States' demand for Chinese products

Question 14: How would a strong U.S. dollar impact the trade of grain produced in the United States? (5 points)

-U.S. grain exports decrease

-U.S. grain exports increase

-U.S. grain imports decrease

-U.S. grain imports stagnate

Question 15: Which of these can be a result of inflation? (5 points)

-Businesses grow cautious about spending

-The government has to cut spending

-The price of household items increases

-Workers benefit from a lower cost of living

Question 16: If the inflation rate increases faster than their income, people will most likely (5 points)

-use a higher proportion of their incomes on basic needs

-spend a lower proportion of their incomes on basic needs

-get more goods and services for less money

-obtain fewer goods and services for less money

Question 17: To increase your standard of living, your wages must (5 points)

-rise faster than the inflation rate

-rise more slowly than the inflation rate

-keep pace with the inflation rate

-have a negative inflation rate

Question 18: Look at the map showing the European Union (EU) and its free-trade agreement (FTA) countries. Which is true about most current EU free-trade agreements? (5 points)

-The European Union's free-trade agreements are with all of the most developed nations in the world.

-The European Union's free-trade agreements include agreements with both developed and developing nations.

-The European Union's free-trade agreements focus on nations with access to overland trade routes

-The European Union's free-trade agreements focus on the Southern Hemisphere, as distant countries have access to goods not grown in Europe.

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ECON 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Comparative Advantage, International Trade, Autarky

ECON 101 Full Course Notes

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