How much of each good is consumed in Japan? Japan produced 48 airplanes and 0 tons of soybeans. After exporting 22 airplanes (48 - 22 = 26 ext{ airplanes}$) and importing 880tonsofsoybeans(0 + 880 = 880 ext{ tons}),Japanconsumes26airplanesand880tonsofsoybeans.Thiscombinationwouldalsobeplotted<em>outside</em>Japan’sPPF.</p></li></ul></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="9e083434−a2cc−4d83−8200−220abdc07ed5"data−toc−id="9e083434−a2cc−4d83−8200−220abdc07ed5"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">ActiveLearning3:Answers</h4><ul><li><p>(Thepreviousdetailedcalculationsaretheanswerkey,explicitlyprovidedhereformoredetail.)</p><ul><li><p>U.S.consumption:52airplanes,2{,}620tonsofsoybeans.</p></li><li><p>Japanconsumption:26airplanes,880tonsofsoybeans.</p></li></ul></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="068643fd−8df8−44f0−a2bc−35bb417edc3f"data−toc−id="068643fd−8df8−44f0−a2bc−35bb417edc3f"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">3−2ComparativeAdvantage:TheDrivingForceofSpecialization</h4><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="49b8741b−cbc3−4a05−a7e7−135fa2f6b19f"data−toc−id="49b8741b−cbc3−4a05−a7e7−135fa2f6b19f"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">AbsoluteAdvantage</h4><ul><li><p>Absoluteadvantage∗istheabilitytoproduceagoodusingfewerinputs(suchastime,labor,orresources)thananotherproducer.</p></li><li><p>Example:UsingRubyandFrank′sproductiontimes:</p><ul><li><p>Toproduce1ozofmeat:Rubyneeds20minutes;Frankneeds60minutes.</p></li><li><p>Toproduce1ozofpotatoes:Rubyneeds10minutes;Frankneeds15minutes.</p></li></ul></li><li><p>Rubyhasanabsoluteadvantageinproducingbothmeatandpotatoesbecausesherequireslesstime(fewerinputs)thanFranktoproduceaunitofeithergood.Thismeanssheisgenerallymoreproductiveinbothactivities.</p></li><li><p>∗Wordsaccompaniedbyanasteriskarekeytermsfromthechapter.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="ecb94fcc−7866−450c−a18c−88284c93c7c5"data−toc−id="ecb94fcc−7866−450c−a18c−88284c93c7c5"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">OpportunityCostandComparativeAdvantage</h4><ul><li><p>Opportunitycost∗iswhatevermustbegivenuptoobtainsomeitem;it′sthevalueofthenextbestalternativeforgone.</p></li><li><p>CalculatingopportunitycostsforRuby:</p><ul><li><p>Ruby:10mintogrow1ozofpotatoes,20mintoproduce1ozofmeat.</p></li><li><p>Opportunitycostofproducing1ozofpotatoes= rac{10 ext{ min (potatoes)}}{20 ext{ min (meat)}} = rac{1}{2}ozofmeat.(Toget1ozpotatoes,Rubymustgiveup1/2ozmeat).</p></li><li><p>Opportunitycostofproducing1ozofmeat= rac{20 ext{ min (meat)}}{10 ext{ min (potatoes)}} = 2ozofpotatoes.(Toget1ozmeat,Rubymustgiveup2ozpotatoes).</p></li></ul></li><li><p>CalculatingopportunitycostsforFrank:</p><ul><li><p>Frank:15mintogrow1ozofpotatoes,60mintoproduce1ozofmeat.</p></li><li><p>Opportunitycostofproducing1ozofpotatoes= rac{15 ext{ min (potatoes)}}{60 ext{ min (meat)}} = rac{1}{4}ozofmeat.(Toget1ozpotatoes,Frankmustgiveup1/4ozmeat).</p></li><li><p>Opportunitycostofproducing1ozofmeat= rac{60 ext{ min (meat)}}{15 ext{ min (potatoes)}} = 4ozofpotatoes.(Toget1ozmeat,Frankmustgiveup4ozpotatoes).</p></li></ul></li><li><p>∗Wordsaccompaniedbyanasteriskarekeytermsfromthechapter.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="f7bc27cc−7b20−4d12−a0ca−9cbbdf7be955"data−toc−id="f7bc27cc−7b20−4d12−a0ca−9cbbdf7be955"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">Table1:TheOpportunityCostofMeatandPotatoes</h4><ul><li><p>Thistablesummarizesthecalculatedopportunitycosts:</p></li></ul><tablestyle="min−width:75px;"><colgroup><colstyle="min−width:25px;"><colstyle="min−width:25px;"><colstyle="min−width:25px;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><thcolspan="1"rowspan="1"style="text−align:left;"><p></p></th><thcolspan="1"rowspan="1"style="text−align:center;"><p>OpportunityCostof1ozofMeat</p></th><thcolspan="1"rowspan="1"style="text−align:center;"><p>OpportunityCostof1ozofPotatoes</p></th></tr><tr><tdcolspan="1"rowspan="1"style="text−align:left;"><p>Frankthefarmer</p></td><tdcolspan="1"rowspan="1"style="text−align:center;"><p>4ozpotatoes</p></td><tdcolspan="1"rowspan="1"style="text−align:center;"><p> rac{1}{4}ozmeat</p></td></tr><tr><tdcolspan="1"rowspan="1"style="text−align:left;"><p>Rubytherancher</p></td><tdcolspan="1"rowspan="1"style="text−align:center;"><p>2ozpotatoes</p></td><tdcolspan="1"rowspan="1"style="text−align:center;"><p> rac{1}{2}ozmeat</p></td></tr></tbody></table><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="1f5cc61d−2718−4e1f−8d0c−e9247e96c63d"data−toc−id="1f5cc61d−2718−4e1f−8d0c−e9247e96c63d"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">ComparativeAdvantage(1of2)</h4><ul><li><p>Comparativeadvantage∗istheabilitytoproduceagoodataloweropportunitycostthananotherproducer.Thisisthefundamentalbasisforbeneficialtrade.</p></li><li><p>Itispossibleforoneperson(likeRuby)tohaveanabsoluteadvantageinproducingbothgoods(beingmoreproductiveineverything).</p></li><li><p>However,oneperson<em>cannot</em>haveacomparativeadvantageinbothgoods.Thisisbecausetheopportunitycostofonegoodistheinverseoftheopportunitycostoftheother;ifyouhavealoweropportunitycostforone,youmusthaveahigheropportunitycostfortheother.</p></li><li><p>∗Wordsaccompaniedbyanasteriskarekeytermsfromthechapter.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="3afb47b5−9cfd−47a0−a179−1e645be639a7"data−toc−id="3afb47b5−9cfd−47a0−a179−1e645be639a7"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">ComparativeAdvantage(2of2)</h4><ul><li><p>Theopportunitycostofonegoodisalwaystheinverseoftheopportunitycostoftheothergoodforagivenproducer.Forexample,ifFrank′sopportunitycostof1ozofpotatoesis rac{1}{4}ozofmeat,thenhisopportunitycostof1ozofmeatmustbe4ozofpotatoes.</p></li><li><p>Becauseoftheseinverserelationships,iftwoproducershavedifferentopportunitycostsforproducingtwogoods,onepersonwillinevitablyhaveacomparativeadvantageinonegood,andtheotherpersonwillhaveacomparativeadvantageintheothergood.Thisensuresabasisformutuallybeneficialspecializationandtrade.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="b161f2f1−2c78−4480−88f2−616dafc60d67"data−toc−id="b161f2f1−2c78−4480−88f2−616dafc60d67"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">ComparativeAdvantageandTrade</h4><ul><li><p>Thesignificantgainsfromspecializationandtradearefundamentallydrivenbycomparativeadvantage,notabsoluteadvantage.</p></li><li><p>Whenindividualsorcountriesspecializeinproducingthegoodsforwhichtheyhaveacomparativeadvantage,totalproductionintheeconomyrises,leadingtoalargereconomicpieforeveryone.</p></li><li><p>Gainsfromtradearereflectedintheimplicitpricesthattradingpartnerspayeachother.Theseprices,ortermsoftrade,mustfallbetweentheopportunitycostsofthetwopartiesforbothtobenefit.</p></li><li><p>Tradecanbenefiteveryonebecauseitallowspeopletospecializeinactivitiesinwhichtheyhaveacomparativeadvantage,makingtheoveralleconomymoreefficientandexpandingconsumptionpossibilities.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="163ad88c−1e6d−4352−adc2−a8e63dbac833"data−toc−id="163ad88c−1e6d−4352−adc2−a8e63dbac833"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">ThePriceoftheTrade</h4><ul><li><p>Forbothpartiestogainfromtrade,thepriceatwhichtheytrade(theratioofexchangeofonegoodforanother)mustliebetweentheirrespectiveopportunitycosts.Ifthepriceisoutsidethisrange,onepartywouldbebetteroffproducingthegoodthemselvesinsteadoftrading.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="fc1e5184−412c−40d0−943e−706c4eaa99e0"data−toc−id="fc1e5184−412c−40d0−943e−706c4eaa99e0"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">3−3ApplicationsofComparativeAdvantage</h4><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="34a58716−4176−42e5−9bbd−650120ed7024"data−toc−id="34a58716−4176−42e5−9bbd−650120ed7024"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">ShouldNaomiOsakaMowHerOwnLawn?</h4><ul><li><p>Scenario:</p><ul><li><p>In2hours,professionaltennisplayerNaomiOsakacanmowherlawn,orfilmaTVcommercialandearn30{,}000.</p></li><li><p>In4hours,Hari,alocallandscaper,canmowOsaka′slawn,orworkatMcDonald’sandearn50.</p></li></ul></li><li><p>AnalysisofOpportunityCosts:</p><ul><li><p>Osaka′sopportunitycostofmowingherlawn:30{,}000(theincomesheforgoesfromfilmingacommercial).</p></li><li><p>Hari′sopportunitycostofmowingOsaka′slawn:50(theincomeheforgoesfromworkingatMcDonald′s).</p></li></ul></li><li><p>Gainsfromtrade:Harihasamuchloweropportunitycostofmowingthelawn.AslongasOsakapaysHarimorethan50(soHariisbetteroff)butlessthan30{,}000(soOsakaisbetteroffbypayingsomeoneelseratherthandoingitherself),botharebetteroff.Osakacanusehertimeforhigher−valueactivitieswhileHariearnsmorethanhisalternative.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="71555a9c−3f7e−4dfb−87f8−a356fb12af8a"data−toc−id="71555a9c−3f7e−4dfb−87f8−a356fb12af8a"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">ShouldtheUnitedStatesTradewithOtherCountries?(1of4)</h4><ul><li><p>Internationaltradeinvolves:</p><ul><li><p>Imports∗:goodsproducedabroad(inothercountries)andsolddomestically(withinacountry).</p></li><li><p>Exports∗:goodsproduceddomestically(withinacountry)andsoldabroad(toothercountries).</p></li></ul></li><li><p>∗Wordsaccompaniedbyanasteriskarekeytermsfromthechapter.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="c7939291−d44c−428d−8eb2−3061890b6c45"data−toc−id="c7939291−d44c−428d−8eb2−3061890b6c45"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">ShouldtheUnitedStatesTradewithOtherCountries?(2of4)</h4><ul><li><p>Let′sconsiderascenarioinvolvingtheUnitedStatesandJapan:</p><ul><li><p>Eachcountryproducestwogoods:foodandcars.</p></li><li><p>Productionrates:</p><ul><li><p>OneAmericanworker,inonemonth,canproduceonecaror2tonsoffood.</p></li><li><p>OneJapaneseworker,inonemonth,canproduceonecaror1tonoffood.</p></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="054e2e3a−7f04−407e−839d−1755cb006fed"data−toc−id="054e2e3a−7f04−407e−839d−1755cb006fed"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">ShouldtheUnitedStatesTradewithOtherCountries?(3of4)</h4><ul><li><p>CalculationofOpportunityCosts:</p><ul><li><p><strong>UnitedStates:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Opportunitycostof1car=2tonsoffood(toproduce1car,2tonsoffoodmustbeforgone).</p></li><li><p>Opportunitycostof1tonoffood= rac{1}{2}car(toproduce1tonoffood,1/2carmustbeforgone).</p></li></ul></li><li><p><strong>Japan:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Opportunitycostof1car=1tonoffood.</p></li><li><p>Opportunitycostof1tonoffood=1car.</p></li></ul></li></ul></li><li><p><strong>ComparativeAdvantage:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Japanhasacomparativeadvantageinproducingcarsbecauseitsopportunitycostofacar(1tonoffood)islowerthanthatoftheU.S.(2tonsoffood).</p></li><li><p>TheUnitedStateshasacomparativeadvantageinproducingfoodbecauseitsopportunitycostofatonoffood(1/2car)islowerthanthatofJapan(1car).</p></li></ul></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="f9fa166e−4c51−4970−9934−2c1abb421e8d"data−toc−id="f9fa166e−4c51−4970−9934−2c1abb421e8d"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">ShouldtheUnitedStatesTradewithOtherCountries?(4of4)</h4><ul><li><p>Applyingtheprincipleofcomparativeadvantage:Eachgoodshouldbeproducedbythecountrywiththesmalleropportunitycostofproducingthatgood.</p><ul><li><p>Therefore,Japanshouldspecializeinproducingcars,producingmorecarsthanitwantsforitsownuseandexportingthesurplustotheUnitedStates.</p></li><li><p>TheUnitedStatesshouldspecializeinproducingfood,producingmorefoodthanitwantstoconsumeandexportingsometoJapan.</p></li></ul></li><li><p>Throughthisspecializationandtrade,bothcountriesendupwithmorefoodandmorecarsthantheywouldhavehadiftheytriedtobeself−sufficient,demonstratingthegainsfromtrade.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="782c2cbf−4ed5−4fa8−a495−195c481c563e"data−toc−id="782c2cbf−4ed5−4fa8−a495−195c481c563e"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">3−4Conclusion</h4><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="430c4a7d−25ed−4bbb−ab0d−a1bc1b5f404c"data−toc−id="430c4a7d−25ed−4bbb−ab0d−a1bc1b5f404c"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">Conclusion</h4><ul><li><p>Theprincipleofcomparativeadvantageconvincinglyshowsthattradecanmakeeveryonebetteroffbyincreasingoverallproductionandexpandingconsumptionopportunities.</p></li><li><p>However,thisraisesimportantquestions:Howisitpossibleforfreesocietiestocoordinatethediverseactivitiesofallthepeopleinvolvedintheireconomies?Whatensuresthatgoodsandservicesgetfromthosewhoshouldbeproducingthem(basedoncomparativeadvantage)tothosewhoshouldbeconsumingthem?</p></li><li><p>Mosteconomiesallocateresourcesandcoordinateactivitiesusingthemarketforcesofsupplyanddemand,wherepricesactassignalstoguideproductionandconsumptiondecisions.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="b761a8b9−c54a−4e70−b4d4−2698fee8e4b1"data−toc−id="b761a8b9−c54a−4e70−b4d4−2698fee8e4b1"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">AsktheExperts:TradebetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates−B</h4><ul><li><p>Astatement:SomeAmericanswhoworkintheproductionofcompetinggoods,suchasclothingandfurniture,aremadeworseoffbytradewithChina.Whiletradebenefitstheoveralleconomy,itcancreatejoblossesandeconomicdisruptioninspecificdomesticindustriesthatfaceintensecompetitionfromefficientimportproducers,leadingtoconcentratedcostsforcertaingroups.</p></li><li><p>Source:IGMEconomicExpertsPanel,June19,2012.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="346aa98b−3da4−477f−930a−3b0bd90679c0"data−toc−id="346aa98b−3da4−477f−930a−3b0bd90679c0"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">Think−Pair−ShareActivity</h4><ul><li><p>Debatedscenario:atariffonimportsofsteel,debatingwhoisbetteroffandthereal−worldimplicationsofimportrestrictions.</p></li><li><p>Questions:</p><ul><li><p>WilltheUnitedStatesbebetteroffifwelimitsteelimports?Overall,no.Whiledomesticsteelproducersmightbenefitfromreducedcompetitionandhigherprices,steel−usingindustries(likeautomanufacturers)wouldfacehigherinputcosts,potentiallybecominglesscompetitivethemselves.Consumerswouldalsofacehigherpricesforgoodsmadewithsteel.Overalleconomicefficiencywouldlikelydecrease.</p></li><li><p>WillanyoneintheUnitedStatesbebetteroffifwelimitsteelimports?Yes,specificgroupswouldbenefit.Domesticsteelproducerswouldlikelyseeincreasedsalesandprofits,andtheirworkersmightexperiencegreaterjobsecurityandpotentiallyhigherwagesduetoreducedforeigncompetition.</p></li><li><p>Intherealworld,doeseverypersoninthecountrygainwhenrestrictionsonimportsarereduced?No.Whileareductioninimportrestrictions(freetrade)generallyleadstooveralleconomicgainsbyallowingspecializationandlowerpricesforconsumers,someindividualsandindustriesthatpreviouslyfacedlesscompetitionmaysuffer.Workersinthoseindustriesmightlosejobsorfacewagereductions,requiringeconomicadjustmentsandpotentiallygovernmentassistanceorretrainingprograms.</p></li></ul></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="a7653a5b−8cd8−44dd−aaaa−513714c9d7d6"data−toc−id="a7653a5b−8cd8−44dd−aaaa−513714c9d7d6"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">Self−Assessment</h4><ul><li><p>Whatexactlydopeoplegainwhentheytradewithoneanother?Theygaintheabilitytoconsumemoregoodsandservicesthantheycouldproduceontheirown,oftenatlowercosts,byspecializinginwhattheydobestandexchangingwithothers.</p></li><li><p>Comparedtoaroommate,arethereactivitiesinwhichyouhaveanabsoluteadvantage?Acomparativeadvantage?(Consideryourrelativespeeds/efficienciesintaskslikecooking,cleaning,studying,orearningincome).</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="eef52981−f11c−44eb−bda9−ca56348fc1f2"data−toc−id="eef52981−f11c−44eb−bda9−ca56348fc1f2"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">Summary</h4><ul><li><p>ThischapterhasreviewedtheobjectivesbyexploringhowtheideasoftheProductionPossibilitiesFrontier(PPF),opportunitycost,absoluteandcomparativeadvantage,andthegainsfromtradeconnecttoreal−worldtradepatternsandpolicydecisions,emphasizingthatcomparativeadvantageisthekeydriverofbeneficialspecializationandtrade.</p></li></ul><divdata−type="horizontalRule"><hr></div><h4id="c3de0f95−ec8c−47bc−9513−c9e23097c0f2"data−toc−id="c3de0f95−ec8c−47bc−9513−c9e23097c0f2"collapsed="false"seolevelmigrated="true">LinktoObjectives</h4><ul><li><p>(Refertotheslidelinktotheobjectivesintheoriginalpresentationtoensure</p></li></ul><p></p><ul><li><p><strong>Absoluteadvantage</strong>:theabilitytoproduceagoodusingfewerinputsthananotherproducer.</p></li><li><p><strong>Opportunitycost</strong>:whatevermustbegivenuptoobtainsomeitem.</p></li><li><p><strong>Comparativeadvantage</strong>:theabilitytoproduceagoodataloweropportunitycostthananotherproducer.</p></li><li><p><strong>Imports</strong>:goodsproducedabroadandsolddomestically.</p></li><li><p><strong>Exports</strong>:goodsproduceddomesticallyandsoldabroad.</p></li></ul><p></p><p>TheProductionPossibilitiesFrontier(PPF)isagraphthatillustratesthevariouscombinationsofoutputthataneconomycanpossiblyproduce,givenitsavailableresourcesandcurrentproductiontechnology.Itvisuallyrepresentsthelimitsofaggregateproduction,showingcombinationsofgoodsaneconomycanefficientlyproduce,aswellasconceptslikescarcity,trade−offs,andopportunitycosts.</p><p>Specializationreferstotheactofanindividual,firm,orcountryfocusingtheirproductiveeffortsonaspecifictask,good,orserviceforwhichtheyhaveaparticularefficiencyoraloweropportunitycost(comparativeadvantage).Byspecializing,producerscanincreasetheiroveralloutput,whichthenenablesthemtotradewithotherstoacquiregoodsandservicestheydonotproducethemselves,leadingtomutualgainsandincreasedconsumptionpossibilitiesforallpartiesinvolved.</p><p>Thestatement"Shahinashouldhiretheassistantaslongasshepaystheassistantlessthan25perhour"istrueduetotheconceptofopportunitycost.</p><p>Here′sthebreakdown:</p><ol><li><p><strong>Shahina′sOpportunityCostofTyping:</strong>Shahinacanearn100perhourdoingtaxreturns.Inthatsamehour,shecantype10,000charactersintospreadsheets.Thismeansheropportunitycostofspendingonehourtyping(andthusnotdoingtaxreturns)is100.</p></li><li><p><strong>ValuingtheAssistant′sWork:</strong>Theassistantcantype2,500charactersperhour.ThisamountoftypingwouldtakeShahinarac{2,500 ext{ characters}}{10,000 ext{ characters/hour}} = rac{1}{4}ofanhour.</p></li><li><p><strong>Shahina′sOpportunityCostfortheAssistant′sOutput:</strong>IfShahinaweretodothe2,500charactersherself,shewouldspendrac{1}{4}ofanhour.Theincomeshewouldforgoduringthatrac{1}{4}houroftypingisrac{1}{4} imes 100 ext{ per hour} = 25.ThisisShahina′sopportunitycostofgetting2,500characterstyped.</p></li><li><p><strong>DecisiontoHire:</strong>SinceitwouldcostShahina25inforgoneearningstotype2,500charactersherself,shewouldbebetteroffhiringanassistanttodothesametaskaslongastheassistant′swageislessthanherownopportunitycostof25perhour.Ifshepayslessthan25$$, she saves money relative to doing it herself, allowing her to focus on higher-value tax return work.