1. Interdependence and the Gains from Trade3
Interdependence and the Gains from Trade

2. Interdependence and the Gains from Trade
Consider your typical day:
You wake up to an alarm clock made in China.
You pour yourself orange juice made from Brazilian oranges and coffee from beans grown in Costa Rica.
You put on some clothes made of cotton grown in Egypt and sewn in factories in Morocco.
You watch the morning news broadcast from London on your TV made in Malaysia.
. . . and you haven’t been up for more than two hours yet!

3. Interdependence and the Gains from Trade
Remember, economics is the study of how societies produce and distribute goods in an attempt to satisfy the wants and needs of its members. 2

4. Interdependence and the Gains from Trade
How do we satisfy our wants and needs in a global economy?
We can be economically self-sufficient. OR
We can specialize and trade with others, leading to economic interdependence. 3

5. Interdependence Role of Trade for the Turkish Economy
Role of Trade for the Turkish Economy
GDP (2012) = $789.3 billion
Current Account: Exports – Imports = -5.9% of GDP
Exports (2012) = 19.3% of GDP
Imports (2012) = 30.0% of GDP
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6. Interdependence and the Gains from Trade
Individuals and nations rely on specialized production and exchange as a way to address problems caused by scarcity.
But this gives rise to two questions:
Why is interdependence the norm?
What determines production and trade? 4

7. Interdependence and the Gains from Trade
Why is interdependence the norm?
Interdependence occurs because people are better off when they specialize and trade with others.
What determines the pattern of production and trade?
Patterns of production and trade are based upon differences in opportunity costs.

8. A PARABLE FOR THE MODERN ECONOMY
Imagine . . .
only two goods: potatoes and meat (requires time)
only two people: a market gardener and a beef farmer
What should each produce?
Why should they trade?

9. Table 1 The Production Opportunities of the Farmer and Farmer
Main question:
Given that there are 48 hours in a 2-day period, how many kg’s of each good can Gardener and Farmer produce at most in a 2-day period?
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10. Table 1 The Production Opportunities of the Farmer and Farmer
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11. Production Possibilities
Self-Sufficiency (Autarky)
By ignoring each other…
Each consumes what they each produce.
The production possibilities frontier is also the consumption possibilities frontier.
Without trade, economic gains are diminished. 8

12. Figure 1 The Production Possibilities Curve
Suppose that gardener dedicates half of his time (24hrs) to the meat production and half of his time (24hrs) to the production of potatoes at self-sufficiency.

13. Figure 1 The Production Possibilities Curve
Suppose that farmer dedicates half of his time (24hrs) to the meat production and half of his time (24hrs) to the production of potatoes at self-sufficiency.
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14. Absolute Advantage
The comparison among producers of a good according to their productivity—absolute advantage
Absolute advantage measures the cost of a good in terms of the inputs required to produce it.
The producer that requires a smaller quantity of inputs to produce a good is said to have an absolute advantage in producing that good. 13

15. Absolute Advantage
Who has the absolute advantage in potato production? The farmer or the gardener?
Who has the absolute advantage in meat production? The farmer or the gardener? 15

16. Absolute Advantage
The farmer needs only 1 hour to produce a kilogram of potatoes, whereas the gardener needs 1.5 hours.
The farmer needs only 2 hours to produce a kilogram of meat, whereas the gardener needs 6 hours.
The farmer has an absolute advantage in the production of both meat and potatoes.

17. THE PRINCIPLE OF COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
Differences in opportunity costs determine the following:
Who should produce what?
How much should be traded for each product?
Who can produce potatoes at a lower cost--the gardener or the farmer? 11

18. Opportunity Cost and Comparative Advantage
The comparative advantage approach compares the producers of a good with respect to their opportunity cost of production.
The producer who has the smaller opportunity cost of producing a good is said to have a comparative advantage in producing that good. 14

19. Comparative Advantage and Trade
Who has the comparative advantage in potato production? The farmer or the gardener?
Who has the comparative advantage in meat production? The farmer or the gardener?
In order to make statements about the comparative advantage, we need to calculate the opportunity costs of producing meat and potatoes for the farmer and the gardener respectively. 15

20. Figure 1 The Production Possibilities Curve
Recall that OC of the good in the horizontal axis (potatoes) is the slope of the PPF:

21. Figure 1 The Production Possibilities Curve
Recall that OC of the two goods are inversely related:

22. Figure 1 The Production Possibilities Curve
Recall that OC of the good in the horizontal axis (potatoes) is the slope of the PPF:

23. Figure 1 The Production Possibilities Curve
Recall that OC of the two goods are inversely related:

24. Table 3 The Opportunity Cost of Meat and Potatoes
1 kg of meat
1 kg of potatoes
Gardener
4kg of potatoes
0.25kg of meat
Farmer
2 kg of potatoes
0.5kg of meat

25. Specialization and Trade
The gardener and the farmer specialize and trade
Each would be better off if they specialized in producing the product that they are suited to do (that they have a lower opportunity cost of production), and then trade with each other.
Opportunity Cost of Production
Meat
Potatoes
Gardener 4
0.25
Farmer 2
0.5
The gardener should produce potatoes.
The farmer should produce meat. 10

26. Comparative Advantage and Tradeh
…so, the farmer has a comparative advantage in the production of meat but the gardener has a comparative advantage in the production of potatoes.

27. Table 2 The Gains from Trade: A Summary
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28. Table 2 The Gains from Trade: A Summary
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29. Table 2 The Gains from Trade: A Summary
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30. Figure 2 How Trade Expands the Set of Consumption Opportunities
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31. Figure 2 How Trade Expands the Set of Consumption Opportunities
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32. Comparative Advantage and Trade
Comparative advantage and differences in opportunity costs are the basis for specialized production and trade.
Whenever potential trading parties have differences in opportunity costs, they can each benefit from trade.
Trade can benefit everyone in a society because it allows people to specialize in activities in which they have a comparative advantage. 16

33. FYI—The Legacy of Adam Smith and David Ricardo
In his 1776 book An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith performed a detailed analysis of trade and economic interdependence, which economists still adhere to today.
David Ricardo
In his 1816 book Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, David Ricardo developed the principle of comparative advantage as we know it today.

34. APPLICATIONS OF COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
Should David Beckham mow his own lawn? ? ? ?