Globalisation & Trade Flashcards
why do countries trade
if they do not have the resources or capacity to satisfy their own needs & wants
6 advantages of trade
- exploitation of country’s comparative advantage - trade encourages specialisation in specific G & S - becomes more efficient and lowers OC
- producing a narrow range of G & S for domestic & export markets - countries can produce at high volume = cost benefits (E of S)
- increases competition and lowers world prices - benefits to consumers by raising purchasing power
- breaks down domestic monopolies
- quality - competition encourages innovation
- increase employment - related to production
3 disadvantages of trade
- over-specialisation - risk of losing jobs should world demand fall - or when goods can be bought cheaper abroad (structural unemployment)
- hard to grow due to competition from more established foreign firms
- local producers suffer - cheaper imports may destroy their market - diversity of output in an economy may diminish
assumptions made in absolute advantage
- 2 countries
- 2 products
- no transport/transaction costs
- both countries endowed with a given set of re-sources
- each country puts 1/2 resources towards each good
what is an absoloute advantage
the ability of an individual, company, region, or country to produce a greater quantity of a good or service with the same quantity of inputs per unit of time
why should you specialise and trade when two countries have absoloute advantage in different goods
increase in total production output
assumptions made in comparative advantage
- 2 countries
- 2 goods
- no transaction costs
- given set of resources
what is comparative advanatge
when opportunity cost ratios of producing two goods in both countries differ so that the opportunity cost of producing good “a” in country “a” is less
when is there no benefit from trade
when the lines are parallel (PPF) or OC are equal
why is there benefit from trade in comparative advantage
increase in total production output
what is the rate of exchange of trade
determined by the OC of production for each country
why do countries use protectionism (W.T.O accepted)
- strategic industries: defense, steel, power
- anti dumping - stopping the selling of excess stock below WP abroad
- reciprocity - response to other people putting up barriers
- infant industry - protect growing industries till they’re high enough to compete internationally
why do countries use protectionism (unnaccepted by W.T.O)
- sunset/declining industries - protect against structural unemployment
- recession/downturn
- raise tax revenue
how do countries implement protectionism
- tariffs
- quota: numerical limitation
- subsidy
- non-price barriers: H + S, Regulation, ‘Structural + Social impediment’
why is unemployment bad
- lost output
- unemployment benefits
- lost tax rev
- cost of reskilling
define preferential trade area
counties within a geographical region agree to reduce or eliminate tarriff barriers on selected goods imported from other members of the area
define free trade area
when two or more countries in a region agree to reduce or eliminate barriers to trade on all goods from other members
- NAFTA
define customs union
the removal of tarrif barriers between members, thus the acceptance of a common (unified) external tarrif against non-members
define common market/single market
member countries trade freely in all economic resources - not just tangible goods
define economic union
a trading bloc that has both a common market and a common trade policy towards non-members (members free to pursue independent macro-economic policies)
define a monetary union
adopting a single, shared currency
- common exchange rate
- monetary policy
- central bank
define fiscal union
harmonise tax rates
define economic and monetary union
- single economic market
- common trade policy
- single currency
- common monetary policy
define complete economic integration
- single economic market
- common trade policy
- single currency
- common monetary policy
- single fiscal policy, tax and benefit rates
(harmonisation of all policies, rates and economic trade rules)
advantages for members of trading blocs
- free trade within the bloc - specialisation & comparative advantage
- market access & trade creation
- E of S
- jobs
- protection - exports
disadvantages for members of trading blocs
- loss of benefits - free-trade with countries outside of the bloc
- distortion of trade - reduce benefits of specialisation & comparative advantage worldwide
- inefficiencies & trade diversion - inefficient producers within the bloc
- retaliation
making of the EU
- pre-1956 - preferential trade area (European Coal & Steel Community)
- 1957 - Free trade area ( European Economic Community)
- 1986 - Common Market (European Community)
- 1992 - EU (aimed to have single currency by 1997)
- 2000 - rewrites European constitution
arguments against protectionism
- market distortion
- higher prices for consumers
- reduction in market access for producers
- loss of economic welfare
- regressive effect of the distribution of income
- production inefficiencies
- trade wars - retaliation
- negative multiplier effect
- second best approach - import controls = gov failure
define globalisation
the geographic dispersion of industrial & service activities through joint ventures & the sharing of assets
8 key aspects of the impact of globalisation
- trade = increase in GDP
- increase in finacial capital flows
- FDI, cross border merges & acquisitions
- increase num of global brands
- increase specialisation of labour
- global supply chains & new trade investment routes
- increase in international labour & migration (diaspora)
- increase connectivity
key drivers for globalisation
- containerisation - decrease cost of shipping
- technological change - decrease cost of communication
- E of S - increase in MES
- differences in tax systems - attract FDI
- less protectionism - decrease import tariff levels
advantages of globalisation
- increase division of labour & E of S
- decrease scale of monopoly profits & increase cost-reducing innovations
- higher per capita incomes - decrease in extreme poverty
- freer movement of labour
- dynamic efficiency - sharing ideas/skill/technology across boarders
- increase awareness of global inequalities & issues
- competition - improved governance & better labour protection
disadvantages of globalisation
- increase inequality/relative poverty
- threats to global commons - damage to ecosystems
- macroeconomic fragility - external shocks can rapidly spread - volatile capital movements & savings in trade flows
- increase structural unemployment - countries where production has shifted to lower cost centers
- dominant global brands - squeeze out local producers
- poor behaviour of some global multinationals - exploitation of workers, tax avoidance, environmental issues
why is world trade currently growing slowly
- western nations suffering from secular stagnation
- slowing pace of trade liberalisation
- non-tarriff barriers have grown & regional trade blocs are more common
- rising prosperity
- technological change