Jim Whitney | Economics 311 |
Before trade (ignore everything in the diagram
labeled "f"):
Production point: E
Consumption point: E
Domestic relative price
and cost: pa
Utility: Ua
The incentive to trade: Given a global relative
price = p* (>pa), notice the incentive to exchange and to specialize:
Arrow 1 illustrates the incentive to exchange:
the economy can move into the region of more preferred consumption bundles
by exporting A in exchange for B, moving left/up along p*.
Arrow 2 illustrates the incentive to specialize:
the economy can move to a higher budget line by increasing production of
A and reducing production of B, moving right/down along its PPF.
Specialization occurs until the economy reaches
its highest attainable budget line, BLf at production point Prf. At that
point, the relative cost of the two goods (slope of PPF) = the
global relative price ratio (slope of BLf).
Exchange occurs until the economy reaches
its highest attainable indifference curve (Uf), at consumption point Cf
on BLf. At that point the relative value of the two goods (slope
of Uf) = the global relative price ratio (slope of BLf).
With free trade:
Production point: Prf
Consumption point: Cf
Domestic relative price
and cost: pf
Utility: Uf