comparative advantage Essay

Dave gives “The Theory of Comparative Advantage” a different name and calls it “The Roundabout Way to Wealth”.(p.10) He says that this theory deals with the idea that even a nation which is relatively poor at doing everything, still do some things relatively well. “And a nation that is really good at many things should still specialize in producing some items and import the rest”.(p.10) Time is the ultimate scarce resource. Investing time in doing something means having less time in doing

Define the concept of comparative advantage. How can a country gain or lose its comparative advantage in the production of a good?

“Although the national welfare effect will be positive, in a country composed of many individuals, a redistribution of income generating winners and losers from trade is very likely.” (Internationalecon.com, 2011)

 Free Trade: David Ricardo (support free trade)   o Theory of comparative advantage: For two nations without input factor mobility,  specialisation and trade could result in increased total output and lower costs  than if each nation tried to produce in isolation.    Both nations can benefit from trade if each specialises in good that they  have the lowest opportunity cost, even if one economy is more efficient in  making everything.    However, Comparative advantage in not static, and changes over time in  reality.    Also, comparative advantage assumes that factors of production can’t  move between countries  therefore comparative advantage is set to be  outdated

Comparative advantage in economics is when a country can produce a good at a lower opportunity cost relative to other producers. It is because of this theory that output will increase because a producers within a country specializes Countries will gain the ability to maximize their efficiency and their labor force which facilitates mass-production of products, resulting in higher profits and international trade. This is because the economies of scale reduces overall cost, by producing more units. If the two countries moved towards protectionism and attempted to become self-sufficient then the production of goods would then

Comparative advantage states that the division of labor should operate freely, without outside interference, because some countries, people, states, etc., have special advantages over the others, that allows them to produce certain goods more

The theory of absolute cost advantage explains how trade helps increase the total output in the two countries. But it fails to explain whether trade will exist if any of the two countries produces both of goods at lower cost. In fact, this was the deficiency of this theory, which led David Ricardo to formulate the theory of comparative cost advantage (Haberler, 1950).

Nations trade with one another because it is mutually advantageous for both parties when one is more efficient at producing a certain good and at a lower cost, and the other is proficient at producing a different good or service more efficiently. This is based on Ricaro’s theory of comparative advantage.

Free trade is an important economic policy that has been brought to the forefront of debate. Arguments have varied from the potential harm it brings to specific groups of people, to the idea that free trade is extremely beneficial in the increasing of competition and improving the nationwide economy. Free trade is a policy that practices removing restrictions such as tariffs, taxes, and bans, allowing for free participation among all kinds of economies and producers. In other words, free trade is a way to “break down” economic barriers. Comparative advantage is a term often used to support the policy of free trade. The theory of comparative advantage displays that if trading partners produce where there is the lowest opportunity cost, then

Which is cost difference determines the patterns of international trade. Absolute advantage is trade benefits when each country is at least cost producer of one of the goods being traded. In the 1800s, David Ricardo developed the theory of comparative advantage to measure gains from trades. This theory is based on comparative advantage and it states each nation should specialize in production of those goods for which its relatively more efficient with a lower opportunity cost.

When one country is able to be more efficient in producing one good or service compared to a different country, a comparative advantage has occurred. This usually takes place when a country is able to focus and specialize in a product or service so they will have a stronger dominance in what they do. The United States have exceeded in creativity and innovation, which accounts for the advantage in technology (Macroeconomics, 24-38). The U.S. also has a trade surplus in services and is the forerunner in the worlds’ service exports (Global Trade in Services, 84).

The country can maximize their wealth by putting the resources in the most competitive industries. Government created comparative advantage rather than free trade because now easier moves the production processes and the machines into countries that can produce more goods (Yeager & Tuereck, 1984). However, many countries now move to new trade theory suggests the ability firms to limit the number of competitors associated with economic scale (reduction of costs with a large scale of output) (Krugman, 1992). The comparative advantage occurs when two-way trade in identical products, it will useful where economic scale is important, but it will create problem with this model. As a result, government must intervene in international trade for protection to domestic firms (Krugman, 1990)

The theory of comparative advantage explains the benefit of free trade. According to this theory by David Ricardo in the early 19th century, “Both countries will be better off if each specializes in the industry where it has a comparative advantage, and if the two trade with one another.” (Citation) International trade opens up markets to foreign supplier, and domestic companies need to improve their efficiency, boost productivity, and lower cost to increase competitiveness instead of enjoying monopolies or oligopolies that enabled them to keep prices well above marginal costs. On the other hand, international trade also offers domestic companies bigger demands and broader markets; therefore more jobs relevant to export have been created. Furthermore, jobs in the US supported by goods exports pay 13-18 percent more than the US national average (ustr.gov).

Considering that absolute advantage is determined by the comparison between the productivities of labor, it is therefore possible that one party can be disadvantaged to have no absolute advantage in anything. In such a case, it is normally realized that no trade can occur between such a party and other parties. Absolute advantage is normally contrasted with the theory of comparative advantage which means that one party has the ability to produce a particular good or service cheaply or at a lower opportunity cost. In any case, the two theories rely on the basic concept of economic advantage which refers to the ability of one group or party to realize the same output with more economy than another party.

The principle of comparative advantage provides a simplified theory explaining why free trade is possible, even when one country has an economic disadvantage. Both the Ricardian and Heckscher-Ohlin theories rely on fixed economic assumptions of constant return and perfect competition. However, intuitively the basic principle of business is to increase returns through innovation, improving processes and technology or increasing economies of scale. Organizations understand they control pricing and are price setters, rather than price takers as suggested by perfect competition (Krugman & Obstfeld, 2003). The idea of increasing returns and imperfect competition challenge the foundations of comparative advantage.