Economic nationalism and free trade.

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Chapter 9, Problem 9.4.3PA

To determine

Economic nationalism and free trade.

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Listen carefully to the podcast titled 'Is America losing faith in Free Trade?. What would help explain why support for trade liberalisation in places such as the United States has decreased in the past decade even though economists argue free trade is beneficial for the economy? The benefits and costs of trade are unequally distributed within society. The benefits of free trade tends to fall on people who are less well off, who either lose their jobs or lose wages to other countries which angers the wealthy investors. O The wage gap between high and low-skilled workers is closing which decreases levels of productivity. The benefits of free trade tend to fall on people who are less well off, who either lose their jobs or lose wages to other countries.

A friend tells you the following: “Free trade sounds good, but a country like Honduras doesn’t have any comparative advantage compared to the United States. Therefore, trade with us will exploit them and make their economic situation worse.” Explain to your friend the error in his thinking.

David Ricardo, the British political economist, used the example of two commodities—wine and cloth—produced by England and Portugal to explain trade. The following table shows the number of labor hours it would take England and Portugal to produce one unit each of wine and cloth: (see table attatched) Portugal can produce both wine and cloth using fewer labor hours than England uses. A group of mercantilists (who believe that nations build their wealth by exporting more than they import) suggest that Portugal has nothing to gain from trading with England. Would you agree? Explain your answer.