4.1 International Economics Flashcards
Globalisation
The growing interdependence of countries and the rapid
rate of change it brings about.
Why has globalisation come about?
- Improvements in transport infrastructure and operations
- Improvements in IT and communication
- Trade liberalisation
- International financial markets
- TNCs
why are economies emerging
- transitioning from a low income, less developed, towards a modern, industrial economy with a higher standard of living.
- new trade deals
- structural changes to government
- change from oil dependent industry
Characteristics of Globalisation
- The increasing integration of the world’s local, regional and national economies into a single international market.
- There is movement towards free trade of goods and services, free movement of labour and capital and free interchange of technology and intellectual capital.
Impact of Globalisation on consumers
- consumers have more choice.
- lower prices due to comparative advantages and choice of where to produce.
- culture may be lost
- costs may rise due rising incomes so higher demand.
Impact of Globalisation on workers
- jobs will be lost in certain areas due to growth of production in China
- increased migration could lower wages but can also provide important skills and an increase in AD which will increase jobs.
- international competition has led to a fall in wages for low skilled workers in developed countries compared to increasing wages in developing countries.
- TNCs tend to provide training for workers and create new jobs.
- sweatshops.
Impact of Globalisation on producers
- can source products from more countries and sell them in more countries, which will reduce risk as one collapsed market in one company will ahve a smaller impact.
- can expolit comparative advantage and have larger markets.
- firms who cannot compete internationally will be miss out.
Impact of Globalisation on government
- higher taxes, however they could lose out due to tax avoidance.
- TNCs also ahve the power to bride and lobby governments, which could lead to corruption.
- If the government uses the correct policies, they can maximise the gains and minimise the losses.
Impact of Globalisation on environment
- increased demand for raw materials, which is bad for the environment.
- increased trade and production has also led to more emissions
- globalisation means the world can work together to tackle climate change
Impact of Globalisation on economic growth
- increases investment within the country
- comparative costs and advantages will change over time
- trade will increase output.
- power of TNCs could lead to political instability as they may support regimes which are unpopular and undemocratic but that benefit them or could hinder
regimes which don’t support them
The theory of comparative advantage
that countries find specialisation mutually
advantageous if the opportunity costs of production are different. If they are the same,
there will be no gain from trade.
Assumptions of comaprative advantage
- no transport costs
- costs are constant, so no economies of scale
- factors of production are perfectly mobile
- depends on terms of trade between the countries.
Advantages of specilisation and trade
- world output can be increased
- economies of scale
- different countries have different factors of production
- greater consumer choice
- greater competition
Disadvantages of specialisation
- over-depedence
- can cause structural unemployment
- environment can suffer
- countries can lose sovereignty due to signing international treatises and joining trading blocs
- loss of culture
Factors influencing the pattern of trade
- comparative advantage
- emerging economies
- trading blocs and bilateral trading agreements
- relative exchange rates
Patterns of trade
evolve over time as countries develop and build new comparative advantage in both goods and services
terms of trade
measures the rate of exchange of one product for another when two countries trade.
What is movement in the terms of trade described as
favourable if the terms of trade increase as the country can buy more imports with the same level of exports. This is called an improvement in the terms of trade.
Calculation in terms of trade
(average export price/average import price index) x 100
Factors influencing a countrys terms of trade
- in the short run exchange rates, inflation and changes in demand/supply of
imports or exports affect the terms of trade since these affect the relative prices of
imports and exports - improvement in productivity
- changing incomes - changes demand
- in general - anything which affects the price of a country’s imports or exports will affect its terms of trade.
Impact of changes in terms of change
- If PED of exports and imports is inelastic, a favourable movement in terms of trade
would improve the current account on the balance of payments whilst if it is elastic,
a favourable movement would worsen the current account. - improvement in the terms of trade is likely to lead to fall in GDP
- long term decline in the terms of trade suggests a long term decline in living standards
- If an improvement has occured due to increased demand for exports, then this will be beneficial for the country. If a deterioration is caused by an improvement in international competitiveness, this will also be beneficial.
Trading areas
These are where tariff and other trade barriers
are reduced on some but not all goods traded between member countries.
Free trade areas
These occur when two or more countries in a region agree to reduce or eliminate trade barriers on all goods coming from other members.
Each member is able to impose its own tariffs and quotas on goods it imports from outside the trading bloc.
Customs unions
A customs union involves the removal of tariff barriers between members and the acceptance of a common external tariff against non-members. This means that members may negotiate as a single bloc with third parties such as other trading blocs or countries
common markets
This is the first step towards full economic integration and
occurs when members trade freely in all economic resources so barriers to trade in goods, services, capital and labour are removed. They impose a common external
tariff on imported goods from outside the markets. For a common market to be
successful there must also be a significant level of harmonisation of micro-economic policies, common rules regarding monopoly power and anti-competitive practices and the removal of custom posts.
Monetary unions
These are two or more countries with a single currency, with an
exchange rate that is monitored and controlled by one central bank or several central banks with closely coordinated monetary policy.
economic union
the final step of economic integration. There will be a
common market with coordination of social, fiscal and monetary policy.
Cost and benefits advantages
- comparative advantage
- benefit from economies of scale
- larger consumer market
- firms in the bloc are protected
- increased competition
- creates more job
- increased choice for consumers
Cost and benefits disadvantages
- distort world trade - reducing benefits of specialisation
- reduction in competition as the market could become oligopolistic
- loss of resources as the most successful regional countries attract capital so also heightens regional inequality
- retaliation between trading blocs - trade disputes
- can distract governments from the gains of signing a full free trade agreement
- distributes the gains from trade unequally - developed countries get most.
- may be weak if they cover limited range of goods
- lessen national sovereignty.
- can be seen as second best solutions - efficiency oudl be maximised with no barriers to trade
Trade creation
When trade is created by the joining of a trade union. It removes the tariffs and leads to welfare gain and higher consumer surplus. It is when consumption shifts from a high cost domestic producer to a low cost partner producer.
Trade Diversion
trade diversion occurs where consumption shifts from a lower cost producer outside the trading bloc to a higher cost producer within it
Aim of WTO
- bring about trade liberalisation
- act according to the trade agreements
what happens if a country fails to follow its agreements
a country or group can file a complaint and the WTO will attempt to solve the issue through negotiations but the complaint can go to a panel of experts and countries must agree to their rulings. If they reject the ruling, the country which wins the ruling has the legal right to impose trade
sanctions against the exports of the losing country.
what is a problem with organisations with the WTO
all countries must agree