4.1 International Economics (Trade) Flashcards
What is absolute advantage?
When a country can produce more of one good per unit of resources than another
What is comparative advantage?
Where the internal opportunity cost of producing one good in the terms of another is lower in one country
What is the nation with the comparative advantage numerically?
The one with the lower internal opportunity cost as their factor resources are more efficiently used.
What are the negatives (evaluation) of comparative advantage and specialization?
- Ignores transport costs when trading
- Ignores external costs of production (negative externalities)
- Ignores gains from economies of scale and IMR
- Assumes factors of production can be easily switched from producing one good to another (constant returns to scale)
- assumes perfect knowledge
- Reduces self sufficiency
What is the terms of trade?
A measure of the rate of exchange of one goods for another when two countries trade.
What are the terms of trade equation?
Terms of trade index (ToT) = Average export price index / Average import price index x 100
What does it mean if the Terms of trade index number incrases?
When the ToT index number increases, the ToT have increased because more imports can be bought for the same number of exports.
What are the factors influencing a country’s ToT?
- Higher UK inflation can mean the ToT will improve as Exports become more expensive in real terms
- Increases in UK productivity rates mean a fall in UK export prices, worsening the ToT
- A fall in exchange rates leads to an increase in import prices meaning the ToT will worsen
- Other factors include Taste, demand and YED
What are the benefits of a rise in the Terms of Trade (More imports can be purchased in terms of exports)?
- Living standards increase as UK citizens can get more imported goods
- Cost push inflation is reduced because of lower import prices
What are the dangers of a rise in the ToT?
Balance of trade might worsen if UK export prices rose and demand was lower than the revenue earnt.
Competitiveness of UK industries would be harmed if UK export prices were hgher.
What are the advantages of specilisation in international trade?
- Exploitation of national comparative advantage
- Economies of scale can be exploited
- increased competition and lower global prices
- Break down of domestic monopiles
- Trade drives innovation increasing quality
What is the main disadvantage of specialisation?
Unemployment can rise when demand fluctuates due to structural unemployment
What are the four economic aspects of globalisation?
Flows of:
- Goods and Servies
- People
- Capital
- Technology
What is Globalisation?
The growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide that leads to the more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology around the world as production, investment and trade are organized on a global basis. Increase in the volume and value of transactions
What two factors can be compared to measure globalisation and how?
Growth in GDP vs Trade volume worldwide, If there is more trade than GDP growth it means globalisation is occurring as the value of goods being sold is greater than the original domestic value.
What two factors can be compared to measure globalisation and how?
Growth in GDP vs Trade volume worldwide, If there is more trade than GDP growth it means globalisation is occurring as the value of goods being sold is greater than the original domestic value.
What are some historical events that caused surges in globalisation?
Romans
Age of discovery
Internet/WWW
What are some historical events that have led to retreats in globalisation?
WW1
Cold war
GFC
What are the main causes of a retreat in globalisation during a recession?
- Protectionism
- Long global supply chains
- Credit crunch
How does protectionism cause retreats in globalisation during a recession?
Tariffs that encourage portectionism disincentivise trade volumes and the value of international transactions
How does Long global supply chains cause retreats in globalisation during a recession?
Long supply chains are very responsive to changes in confidence as firms are more exposed to risk and changes in confidence. TMT Operations may be kept domestic to avoid any external shocks
How do Credit crunches cause retreats in globalisation during a recession?
Credit crunches dry up investment (reduced liquidity) so there is less global trade and investment (FDI)
What is the difference between a global corporation and a multinational corporation?
Global corporation = Does not alter its product for different cultural markets e.g. coca cola
Multinational Corporation = They will suit their products to meet the needs/cultures of a different nation e.g. Mcdonalds
What are the main factors contributing to globalisation in the last 50 years?
- Developments in IT
- Transport developments
- Reductions in protectionism
- Reduced international capital restrictions
- The Washington consensus
- Income elasticity
How has IT developments contributed to globalisation in the past 50 years?
The abillity to handle and transport more data has allowed firms to manage global supply chains more efficiently
How has Transport developments contributed to globalisation in the past 50 years?
Real unit transport costs have been falling on a global scale, meaning it is more worthwhile to trade globally and improving large scale containers have increased efficiency
How have reductions in protectionism contributed to globalisation in the past 50 years?
With the WTO seeking to reduce the levels of protectionism, the growth of trading blocs has stunted and has both helped and hindered globalisation
How has Reduced international capital restrictions contributed to globalisation in the past 50 years?
The UK abolished all restrictions on capital movements in 1979 encouraging inward and outward global investment. The flow of capital globally will ensure globalisation increases
How has the Washington consensus contributed to globalisation in the past 50 years?
A term for the set of policies promoted by the world bank, IMF and US treasury to be used by developing countries that recommended a market-based approach including trade liberalisation, deregulation, competitive exchange rates and fiscal policy discipline.
What are 6 key negatives of globalisation?
- Rising Inequality
- Negative externalities like climate change
- LIC’s tend to shoulder the risk in business activity
- Linked global economy means that there will be worse global recessions/financial crisis
- Migration can lead to financial and human costs
- A more homogenized culture
What is a country’s ‘Factor Endowment’ ?
The amount of Land, Labour, Capital and enterprise that a country currently possesses and can exploit
What has briefly happened to the patterns of trade?
- The G7 share of global trade in manufacturing has fallen significantly
- Trade within trade blocs like the EU have significantly increases (Trade Creation)
- Trade with more traditional trading partners - Like the UK and the Commonwealth has been lost (Trade Diversion)
What are the reasons for a changing pattern of trade?
- Comparative advantage
- The Impact of emerging economies
- The Growth of Trading Blocs and international agreements
- Changes in Relative exchange rates
- Increase in vertical specialisation in production
How has Comparative advantage changed the patterns of trade?
As comparative advantage changes a country may specialise in a different sector (like how the UK has moved from wool to the financial sector) which changes who the nation trades with
However, the UK has now built a comparative advantage in the financial market because of economies of concentration, meaning this will be very hard to give up in the LR.
How has the impact of emerging economies changed the patterns of trade?
As Chinese labor remains cheaper and dominates global markets (Overtaking the US as the world trade leader in 2012) more countries will trade with them instead of the US (or their traditional trading partners)
Why is china becoming increasingly competitive?
- Special economic zones
- High tech
- Good infrastructure
- Large workforce
- Efficient transport links
How has the growth of trade blocs and bilateral trade agreements changed the patterns of trade?
They will allow trading to become more efficient and encourage trading between new and different trading partners. e.g. the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and investment partnership) will benefit an estimated £100 bn to the EU
How has changes in relative exchange rate changed the patterns of trade?
Countries can manipulate the price of their currencies to change the balance of trade into their favour to change trade patterns
How has vertical specialisation changed the patterns of trade?
As different process of the production is distributed between countries along the supply line, differing trade patterns are facilitated.
What are the reasons for restricting Free trade (Protectionism)?
- To protect strategically important industry
- To protect ageing and inefficient domestic industries from foreign competition (Sunset industries)
- To protect fledling domestic industries from foreign competition (Sunrise industries)
- Raising revenue
- To protect domestic producers from dumping by foreign companies or governments
What are some strategically important industries that may need protecting?
- Energy
- Defence
- Water
- Agriculture
- Drugs and medicines
- Basic commodities e.g. steel
What is an example of a sunset industry in the UK that was protected?
Steel, Sheffield was the global capital for steel prodiction and 142,000 worked in the industry after it was nationalised in 1967 which lowered to 30,000 in 2000 as british steel was made uncompetitive due to cheaper foreign labor and energy costs
But it was kept afloat becuase:
- The negative externalities of unemployment (social impacts)
- Defence, in times of war steel supplies would be useful
- Key in the manufacturing of other goods
Why might protectionism not be effective in saving sunset industries in the long run?
Because it isn’t effective, there is no comparative advantage
Foreign firms may also own the capital, so we are helping them the most
What is an example of a sunrise industry that may be protected?
A new car firm that needs to be protected as the car industry is very effective and sees high levels of competition
Why is raising revenue aspect of tariffs more important in developing countries?
Because Developed countries have a larger tax base and can consistently raise revenue from taxes on consumption, whilst developing countries cannot and make proportionately more revenue through tariffs.
What are the three ethical issues relating to protectionism?
- The social and economic threats of being outcompeted
- Human rights issues
- Environmental issues
What is ‘Dumping’?
When a foreign company charges a price in the domestic market which is too far below the market price (e.g. below cost)
What are the types of restrictions on trade?
- Tariffs
- Quotas
- Subsidies to domestic economies
- Non-tariff barriers (NTB’s)
What is a tariff?
A tax or duty levied on an imported good by a domestic government, usually levied as a percentage of its value and varying from good to good
What is a quota?
A physical limit imposed on the amount of good that may be imported, restricting the total supply entering the domestic market
What are subsidies to domestic producers that restrict trade?
Grants made by governments to firms to reduce government costs and reduce prices to increase domestic supplies
What are non-tariff barriers?
NTB’s are restrictions that result from prohibitions, conditions or specific market requirements that make importation or exportation of products difficult/costly
What are the costs of tariffs on the country imposing the tariff?
- Other nations may retaliate by imposing tariffs of their own
- Domestic firms may be less efficient or innovative as they are looked after by the government (Moral Hazard)
- Consumers lose the option to buy G+S from abroad more cheaply (welfare loss)
What are the Benefits of tariffs to the one imposing them?
- Domestic firms will take on more workers leading to improved employment
- Initial injection into the circular flow will ripple out into other areas of the economy, creating a multiplier effects
- Tariffs will make revenue for government that can be injected into the economy
What are the costs for a country with a tariff imposed on them?
Higher export costs mean that revenue and profit will decrease (ceteris paribus) leading to lower AD, GDP and increased unemployment
What is the benefit to a country when a tariff is imposed on them?
In the LR the nation may be forced to specialise which could create investments and comparative advantage
Why might tariffs also be introduced even if the cost far outweighs the benefit?
Politics and populism may mean that support for whatever movement will far overshadow the slight increase in prices -> Particularly in the media.