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Explain: 鈥淭he United States can make certain toys with greater productive efficiency than can China. Yet we import those toys from China.鈥 Relate your answer to the ideas of Adam Smith and David Ricardo.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The United States has an absolute advantage but does not have a comparative advantage in producing toys than China; thus, it imports toys from China.

Step by step solution

01

Step 1. Absolute advantage and comparative advantage

Adam Smith states an absolute advantage. If a nation can produce more output than the competitor nation with the same input, the nation can produce efficiently.

Comparative advantage is postulated by David Ricardo, which states that, if a nation can produce with lower opportunity cost than the competitor nation if the product is produced with fewer resources forgone than the alternative production.

02

Step 2. Explanation

The United States has productive efficiency, i.e., an absolute advantage over China in producing toys but still imports from China; thus, China has a comparative advantage over the United States.

The specialization in the production of toys is possible when a nation has a comparative cost advantage; i.e., the production of toys requires less sacrifice of other goods.

Hence, the United States imports toys from China.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

What form does trade adjustment assistance take in the United States? How does such assistance promote political support for free-trade agreements? Do you think workers who lose their jobs because of changes in trade laws deserve special treatment relative to workers who lose their jobs because of other changes in the economy, say, changes in patterns of government spending?

In Country A, a worker can make 5 bicycles per hour. In Country B, a worker can make 7 bicycles per hour. Which country has an absolute advantage in making bicycles?

  1. Country A

  2. Country B

The accompanying hypothetical production possibilities tables are for New Zealand and Spain. Each country can produce apples and plums. Plot the production possibilities data for each of the two countries separately. Referring to your graphs, answer the following:

New Zealand鈥檚 Production Possibilities Table (Millions of Bushels)


Production Alternatives

Product

A

B

C

D

Apples

0

20

40

60

Plums

15

10

5

0


Spain鈥檚 Production Possibilities Table (Millions of Bushels)


Production Alternatives

Product

R

S

T

U

Apples

0

20

40

60

Plums

60

40

20

0

  1. What is each country鈥檚 cost ratio of producing plums and apples?

  2. Which nation should specialize in which product?

  3. Show the trading possibilities lines for each nation if the actual terms of trade are 1 plum for 2 apples. (Plot these lines on your graph.)

  4. Suppose the optimum product mixes before specialization and trade were alternative B in New Zealand and alternative S in Spain. What would be the gains from specialization and trade?

Assume that the comparative-cost ratios of two products鈥攂aby formula and tuna fish鈥攁re as follows in the nations of Canswicki and Tunata:

Canswicki: 1 can baby formula 鈮 2 cans tuna fish

Tunata: 1 can baby formula 鈮 4 cans tuna fish

In what product should each nation specialize? Which of the following terms of trade would be acceptable to both nations: (a) 1 can baby formula 鈮 2 1/2 cans tuna fish; (b) 1 can baby formula 鈮 1 can tuna fish; (c) 1 can baby formula 鈮 5 cans tuna fish?

What is the offshoring of white-collar service jobs, and how does it relate to international trade? Why has offshoring increased over the past few decades? Give an example (other than that in the text) of how offshoring can eliminate some U.S. jobs while creating other U.S. jobs.

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