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International Trade - Theory and Policy, 2010a

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KEY TAKEAWAYS<br />

<br />

Real wages are an appropriate measure of worker well-being because they represent the purchasing<br />

power of the wage.<br />

<br />

<br />

Real wages are positively related to labor productivity in the Ricardian model.<br />

When countries move to free trade, the real wage with respect to the exported good remains constant, but<br />

the real wage with respect to the imported good rises in both countries.<br />

<br />

If workers prefer to consume a positive amount of both goods, then when a country moves to free trade,<br />

every worker will be able to buy more of both goods. In other words, everyone in both countries will<br />

benefit from trade.<br />

EXERCISE<br />

1. Consider a Ricardian model. Suppose the U.S. unit labor requirement for timber is three, its<br />

unit labor requirement for videocassette recorders (VCRs) is eight, <strong>and</strong> it has forty-eight<br />

million workers. Suppose Taiwan’s unit labor requirement for timber is six, its unit labor<br />

requirement for VCRs is two, <strong>and</strong> it has forty-eight million workers.<br />

1. Which country has the absolute advantage in each good? Which country has the<br />

comparative advantage? Explain.<br />

2. Calculate each country’s autarky price ratio. Then make up a plausible free trade price ratio.<br />

What are the levels of production <strong>and</strong> the pattern of trade when free trade occurs?<br />

3. Calculate real wages for workers in both countries in autarky <strong>and</strong> free trade. Explain why<br />

everyone benefits from trade.<br />

4. Suppose the United States implements a costless technology improvement program that<br />

lowers the U.S. unit labor requirement for timber to two. What effect would this have on the<br />

world supply of timber? What effect would this have on the free trade price ratio? Explain<br />

how real wages would change in both the United States <strong>and</strong> Taiwan.<br />

Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books<br />

Saylor.org<br />

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