From a liberalist perspective, one views the global economy as a positive-sum game. This means that everyone stands to gain from cooperation. In essence, the positive-sum perspective views the global economy as going from a smaller pie to a larger pie. Regardless of what percentage of the pie each actor receives, cooperation still increases each actors “piece of the pie.” Through cooperation, liberalists point out, actors greatly benefit. The positive-sum perspective in the global economy can be observed through trade. Whether a state has a comparative advantage in one good, or absolute advantages in multiple goods, trade is beneficial. There is not a finite amount of wealth in the world. Rather, if states trade between themselves, they will both help and benefit each other. The diffusion of technology and innovation between states also contributes to the well-being of the global economy and global population in general. Trade also leads to competition, a driving force in increasing the “pie.” Although competition with foreign producers might be perceived as a bad thing, it actually facilitates economic growth in the world. Competition forces producers to constantly update and improve their products. Without competition, a state becomes stagnant and simply stays at the status quo for years to come. Thus, competition helps the global economy evolve with new ideas and innovations. The instrumental role of competition and trade can be seen when comparing the fate of
Nations trade with one another because it is mutually advantageous for both parties when one is more efficient at producing a certain good and at a lower cost, and the other is proficient at producing a different good or service more efficiently. This is based on Ricaro’s theory of comparative advantage.
Another core element in the liberal vision in economic interdependence, as shown by Scott Burchill: with the existence of free markets and the possibility of free trade and its potential to create national wealth,” states would expand their range of contacts and levels of understanding, encouraging international friendship and breaking down the divisions between states, uniting them”₉. Meaning that trade creates mutual dependence between states which fosters understanding and finally reduces conflict.
Liberals argue that economic cooperation leads to political cooperation. This is due to economic cooperation being able to dictate the country’s policies. This is because of the fact that the government know to be regarded as a success the economic stability of the state is one of the most important things. This leads the state into cooperating with not only transnational organizations but similarly other states in order to maximize their possible economic opportunites. A major example of economic cooperation leading to political cooperation was at the end of the Cold War whereby many former communist states saw
Trade between nations of the world is extremely important in many aspects such as keeping a strong relationship between countries and to hold a good strong trust. It is through trade that
There is no doubt that increasing in international trade is supporting the economic growth across the world, raising incomes and creating jobs. However, international trade can also some create economic obstacles, such as the international context and the market policy and regulations of each country, and consequently it can be said that the effects would have positive and negative sides, and it is useful to mention all of them and to take them into consideration.
On the other hand, liberalists emphasize “the technological change, specialization, trade and increasing interdependence, and the strengthening of global
If each country specializes in areas where its advantages are greatest or disadvantages are least, the gains from trade will make each country better off than it would be if it remained self-sufficient. [3]
The liberal approach to free trade is heavily associated with the fundamentals of capitalism. Free trade is therefore beneficial to the minority who are capable of manufacturing their goods in societies that have more unskilled labourers and in turn can be compensated less. The labourers in the nations that have the technology to do something better but not necessarily cheaper are at the greatest disadvantage within a liberal free trade political economy.
The Ricardian trade model is a simple yet powerful theory that refutes common fallacies about the causations of trade flows. It illustrates that, instead of absolute advantage, it is comparative advantage that brings forth the gains from trade. Comparative advantage refers to the ability to produce a product at a lower opportunity cost than another. This ability is the result of
The benefits that arise from international trade can be derived from nations that have acquired trade power and established their revenue. According to Stanley, “nations with strong international trade have become prosperous and have power to control the world economy. The global trade can become one of the major contributors to the reduction of poverty.” Over the years, this type of trade has thrived as a result of the numerous benefits that come from importing and exporting good and service on a global scale, more specifically because of the increasing efficiency as well as the effects of supply and
Economic analysts say trading among other countries with no stipulations improve global efficiency in resource allocation (Tupy, 2005). Free Trade delivers goods and services to those who value them most and allows partners to gain from specializing in the producing those goods and services they do best; according to Tupy’s findings, Economists call that the law of comparative advantage. Tupy also states when producers create goods they are comparatively skilled at i.e. Germans producing beer and the French producing wine, those goods increase in abundance and quality. Trade allows consumers to benefit from more efficient production methods, for example, without large markets for goods and services, large production runs would not be economical. Large production runs, in turn, are instrumental to reducing product costs while lower production
International trade has been in existence throughout history and has an economic impact on the participating countries. Trade in most countries has a share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and helps to boost the
Comparative advantage is a principle developed by David Ricardo in the early 19th century to explain the benefits of mutual trade (Carbaugh, 2008). Many underlying assumptions of comparative advantage depend on states of economic equilibrium and an absence of economy of scale. In reality, economies are dynamic and subject to innovation and interference; which has led to revised assumptions of return and competition (Krugman, 1987). These factors have created questions of free trade and governmental participation in an economy by the development of strategic trade policies. These new concepts do not replace the theory of comparative advantage; however, they further explain how trade can benefit a country's economy (Krugman, 1987).
The country can maximize their wealth by putting the resources in the most competitive industries. Government created comparative advantage rather than free trade because now easier moves the production processes and the machines into countries that can produce more goods (Yeager & Tuereck, 1984). However, many countries now move to new trade theory suggests the ability firms to limit the number of competitors associated with economic scale (reduction of costs with a large scale of output) (Krugman, 1992). The comparative advantage occurs when two-way trade in identical products, it will useful where economic scale is important, but it will create problem with this model. As a result, government must intervene in international trade for protection to domestic firms (Krugman, 1990)
Liberalism is another concept that has significant arguments regarding international relations. Liberal economics have determined the shape of the monetary system and support the concept of open markets, where individuals have the freedom to engage in commerce. Unlike realists, liberals oppose mercantilism and the zero-sum game much like the countries in NAFTA. This disagreement is the cause of many disagreements during the NAFTA negotiations. If countries are able to work together and trust one another to attain power, conflict is less likely to occur and overall economic wealth for countries can be gained. Through free trade, the goal is to have a decreased amount of wasted resources on inefficient production because the more individuals that engage in this collective use of resources the more likely the system would become efficient and acquire heightened economic gains such as wealth. ) Finally, there is the liberal institutionalism perspective which approves of regimes and international organizations. Utilizing these rules through rapid growth of regimes, regulate economic affairs, determine which activities are allowed and disallowed, and assure that