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International Trade 1
Basics to Comparative Advantage
50
Economics
Undergraduate 3
09/23/2007

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Term
Simplifying Assumptions of Ricardian Model
Definition
1) Perfect competition (many small firms)
2) Two countries
3) Two products
4) One factor of production (Labor): limited resource, mobile within the country between sectors but not between countries
5) No transportation cost
Term
Lc
Definition
Amount of labor applied to production of c (cheese)
Term
Alc
Definition
Unit-labor requirement for the production of c (hrs/unit - in this case kg of cheese)
Term
1/Alc
Definition
Labor productivity of cheese production (kg/hr)
Term
Alc/Alw
Definition
Opportunity cost of producing cheese (l wine/kg cheese)
Term
Endogenous variables
Definition
Solved within the model, for instance Lc, Lw, Qw, Qc
Term
Exogenous variables
Definition
Are given when using the model, for instance Alc, Alw, L
Term
Production Possibility Frontier (PPF)
Definition
L = Lc + Lw or L=AlcQc + AlwQw
Term
PPF in Slope-Intercept Form
Definition
Qw = L/Alw - (Alc/Alw)Qc - Slope is the - of opportunity cost of cheese production in terms of wine (l/kg)
Term
Production Possibility Set (PPS)
Definition
All points of production within the bounds of the x-axis, y-axis, and PPF
Term
Absolute advantage
Definition
Labor productivity is greater in one country than other 1/Alc > 1/Alc*. This can also be shown in terms of unit-labor requirement: Alc < Alc*
Term
Comparative advantage
Definition
Opportunity cost of producing C in one country is less than in the other Alc/Alw < Alc*/Alw*. This also implies that the other country has a comparative advantage in producing the other good - Alw*/Alc* < Alw/Alc (cross multiply to get this equation from the last)
Term
Autarky
Definition
When a country engages in absolutely no trade
Term
Free trade
Definition
The other end of the spectrum from autarky - countries engage in trade, treating imported goods just as they treat domestically produced goods
Term
Terms of trade
Definition
What is imported in terms of what is exported x kg C/y L W
Term
Results of specialization in comparative adv good and trade on production
Definition
Increased production efficiency - more of each good is produced, even though labor/labor productivity and technology have not increased
Term
Profit
Definition
Total revenue - Total cost: pc = Qc*Pc - Lc*Wc where Qc = quantity cheese produced, Pc = Price of cheese, Lc = labor, Wc = Wages - since this is perfectly compeititive industry, profit = 0
Term
Wages
Definition
Wc = Pc*Qc / Lc, but Qc = Lc/Alc, so Wc = Pc(Lc/Alc)/Lc or Pc/Alc
Term
Autarky terms of trade
Definition
Pc/Alc = Pw/Alw, that is Pc/Pw = Alc/Alw, in words, the price of cheese (in terms of wine) is equal to the opportunity cost of producing cheese (in terms of wine)
Term
Results of specialization in comparative adv good and trade on prices
Definition
Since Pc/Pw = opportunity cost (Alc/Alw) and in case of comparative advantage, Alc/Alw < Alc*/Alw*, this means (Pc/Pw)aut < (Pc*/Pw*)aut. But due to trade, supply in the country with comparative disadvantage on C production INCREASES, bringing the price (Pc*/Pw*) down. At the same time, in the country exporting C, imports of W bring Pw/Pc down, thereby increasing its reciprocal Pc/Pw. So the Free Trade prices migrate to fall between the autarky prices of the two countries: (Pc/Pw)aut < (Pc/Pw)ft < (Pc*/Pw*)aut. This also implies Alc/Alw < (Pc/Pw)ft, that is, in free trade, companies profit as they price of cheese (in terms of wine) is greater than the opportunity cost (in terms of wine) to produce it.
Term
Director General of WTO
Definition
Pascal Lamy - has no power, just promotes freer trade and monitors trade
Term
USTR (head)
Definition
Susan Schwab
Term
First person to write about Comparative Adv
Definition
Robert Torrens
Term
Conditions for Antidumping Duty
Definition
1) Sale at less than fair value: a) price less than cost, b) price less than price in exporter's market, or c) price less than price in 3rd country's market; AND 2) dumping has caused or threatens to cause harm to domestic producers
Term
Counter-vailing Duty
Definition
Charged if 1) foreign government is providing an export subsidy AND 2) subsidy is causing injury to domestic competing firms
Term
Safeguards
Definition
Charged if 1) sudden surge in imports of a particular product AND 2) surge has caused injury to domestic competing firms;
response can be tariff or quota or something else
Term
What are the exceptions to WTO MFN (besides lesser tariffs through FTAs)
Definition
Counter-vailing duties, anti-dumping duties, and safeguards
Term
Tariff-weighted average tariff
Definition
calculated by total number of tariff revenue divided by total value of all imports
Term
US tariff-weight avg tariff
Definition
1.3%
Term
Specific tariff
Definition
import tax is a fixed sum, charged per unit
Term
Ad valorem
Definition
import tax is a percentage of the value
Term
Tariff Schedule
Definition
the definitions of goods and their associated tariffs - these are then further delineated for MFN status, special status (FTAs), or non-MFN status
Term
Smoot Hawley Tariff Act
Definition
1930: raised tariffs in response to Great Depression to keep money in the domestic market and create jobs... this failed horribly
Term
Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act
Definition
response to Smoot Hawley to try to open trade back up - authority given to President to work out bi-lateral trade agreements
Term
Fast Track Authority
Definition
Gives the USTR more leverage, as they do not trade agreements can just be voted up or down in Congress rather than debated and amended
Term
Tariff
Definition
Import tax (form of protectionism)
Term
Quota
Definition
limit on the number of imports of a selected good (form of protectionism)
Term
Export subsidies
Definition
government pays producers to expore (form of protectionism, usually prohibited through MFN agreement in WTO, but allowed and used for agirculture); can be specific or ad valorem
Term
Most Favored Nation
Definition
non-discrimination when it comes to protections against WTO member nations
Term
National Treatment
Definition
once an imported good enters the domestic market, it must be treated like domestic products
Term
Voluntary export restraints (VERs)
Definition
This is insisted upon by countries encountering too many imports, they ask the exporting countries to limit exports of particular goods - thus a "voluntary" restraint
Term
Multi Fiber Agreement
Definition
specified quotas on particular textiles. Was renamed Agreement on Textiles and Clothing during Uruguay round and was phased out over 10 year period
Term
Export tax
Definition
unconstitutional in the US, but used in other countries to limit exports (or drive up gov't revenue) based on taxes on sought after goods in the international market
Term
Voluntary Import Expansions (VIEs)
Definition
An exporting country asks a country with limited imports to allow more imports on specific goods
Term
Red-Tape Barriers
Definition
Costly administrative barriers such as limiting certain kinds of imports to entering at one port or requiring multiple licenses on each product unit
Term
Health and safety standards
Definition
Regulates what kinds of imports can enter domestic market based on health/safety standards; used for instance with pharmaceutical products
Term
Government Procurement Policy
Definition
Federal and state gov'ts must buy a certain percentage of their necessities from domestic producers
Term
Tariff Rate Quota
Definition
Allows a specific quantity of a particular good in at a certain time of the year at a lower quota than at other times of the year
Term
Interational Trade Commission
Definition
Investigates antidumping and countervailing duty requests and recommends protection when they deem it worthy
Term
International Trade Administration
Definition
Determines the margin between fair-value and LTFV sale prices in antidumping cases in order to levy Anti-dumping Duty. Also determines margin to be levied as counter-vailing duty in cases of unfair export subsidies
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