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International Trade - Theory and Policy, 2010a

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products. However, if a person’s preferences are tilted toward more textiles than steel, then the person<br />

may be better off.<br />

Real Rental Effect<br />

When the price of steel rises from PS1 to PS2, the rental bill in the steel industry rises from area KEI to<br />

area JFH in Figure 5.15 "Effects of a Price Increase". Since the amount of capital in steel remains fixed, this<br />

must mean that the rental rate on steel capital increases. However, simply by looking at the diagram, it is<br />

impossible to tell if that increase exceeds or falls short of the percentage change in the price of steel. We’ll<br />

discuss this issue further.<br />

The rental bill in the textile industry falls from area w 1 EG to area w 2 FG in Figure 5.15 "Effects of a Price<br />

Increase". Since the amount of capital in steel remains fixed, this must mean that the rental rate on textile<br />

capital decreases. Furthermore, since the price of steel increases <strong>and</strong> the price of textiles stays the same, it<br />

must follow thatrT/PS <strong>and</strong> rT/PT decrease. Therefore, the real rental rate on textile capital must fall with<br />

respect to purchases of both goods when the price of steel increases.<br />

Magnification Effect<br />

A definitive ordering of the percentage changes in all goods <strong>and</strong> factor prices in a two-good SF model was<br />

derived mathematically by Jones (1971). [2] The magnification effect for the SF model is analogous to the<br />

magnification effect for prices demonstrated in the Heckscher-Ohlin (H-O) model. It defines an ordering<br />

of percentage changes in factor prices induced by changes in the goods’ prices. Thus suppose the price of<br />

steel rises by a greater percentage than the price of textiles such that PS∧>PT∧. This may occur if two<br />

countries move together in trade or if a trade or domestic policy is changed. Jones showed that the<br />

magnification effect in this case would be<br />

rS∧>PS∧>w∧>PT∧>rT∧.<br />

Since rS∧>PS∧ <strong>and</strong> rS∧>PT∧, this implies rS/PS <strong>and</strong> rS/PT both increase. Thus the real returns to steel<br />

capital increase with respect to both goods.<br />

Since PS∧>rT∧ <strong>and</strong> PT∧>rT∧, rT/PS <strong>and</strong> rT/PT both decrease. Thus the real returns to textile capital<br />

decrease with respect to both goods. Finally, since PS∧>w∧, w/PS, the real wage in terms of steel<br />

purchases, decreases. Thus workers will be able to buy less steel than before. However, w∧>PT∧, which<br />

implies that w/PT, the real wage in terms of textile purchases, increases. This means all workers will be<br />

able to buy more textiles than before.<br />

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

Saylor.org<br />

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