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International Trade - Theory and Policy, 2010a

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Thus individuals in the United States who receive income solely from capital are able to purchase more of<br />

each good in free trade relative to autarky. Capitalists are made absolutely better off from free trade.<br />

Individuals who receive wage income only are able to purchase less of each good in free trade relative to<br />

autarky. Workers are made absolutely worse off from free trade.<br />

In France, (PCPS)↑ => PC∧>PS∧—that is, the percentage change in PC is greater than the<br />

percentage change in PS. Then, according to the magnification effect for prices,<br />

w∧>PC∧>PS∧>r∧.<br />

This in turn implies that<br />

wPC↑, wPS↑,<br />

which means that the real wage in terms of both clothing <strong>and</strong> steel rises. And<br />

rPC↓, rPS↓,<br />

which means that the real rent in terms of both clothing <strong>and</strong> steel falls.<br />

Thus individuals in France who receive wage income only are able to purchase more of each good in free<br />

trade relative to autarky. Workers are made absolutely better off from free trade. Individuals in France<br />

who receive income solely from capital are able to purchase less of each good in free trade relative to<br />

autarky. Capitalists are made absolutely worse off from free trade.<br />

These results imply that both countries will experience a redistribution of income when moving from<br />

autarky to free trade. Some individuals will gain from trade, while others will lose. Distinguishing the<br />

winners <strong>and</strong> losers more generally can be done by referring to the fundamental basis for trade in the<br />

model. <strong>Trade</strong> occurs because of differences in endowments between countries. The United States is<br />

assumed to be capital abundant, <strong>and</strong> when free trade occurs, capitalists in the United States benefit.<br />

France is assumed to be labor abundant, <strong>and</strong> when free trade occurs, workers in France benefit. Thus, in<br />

the H-O model, a country’s relatively abundant factor gains from trade, while a country’s relatively scarce<br />

factor loses from trade.<br />

It is worth noting that the redistribution of income is between factors of production <strong>and</strong> not between<br />

industries. The H-O model assumes that workers <strong>and</strong> capital are homogenous <strong>and</strong> are costlessly mobile<br />

between industries. This implies that all workers in the economy receive the same wage <strong>and</strong> all capital<br />

receives the same rent. Thus if workers benefit from trade in the H-O model, it means that all workers in<br />

both industries benefit. In contrast to the immobile factor model, one need not be affiliated with the<br />

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

Saylor.org<br />

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