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Absolute and Comparative Advantage

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ABSOLUTE AND COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the dominant economic philosophy was mercantilism, which advocated severe restrictions on import and aggressive efforts to increase export. The resulting export surplus was supposed to enrich the nation through the inflow of precious metals. Adam Smith (1776), who is regarded as the father of modern economics, countered mercantilist ideas by developing the concept of absolute advantage. He argued that it was impossible for all nations to become rich simultaneously by following mercantilist prescriptions because the export of one nation is another nation’s import. However, all nations would gain simultaneously if they practiced free trade and specialized in accordance with their absolute advantage. Table I, illustrating Smith’s concept of absolute advantage, shows quantities of wheat and cloth produced by one hour’s work in two countries, the United States and the United Kingdom. Division of labor and specialization occupy a central place in Smith’s writing. Table I indicates what the international division of labor should be, as the United States has an absolute advantage in wheat and the U.K. has an absolute advantage in cloth. Smith’s absolute advantage is determined by a simple comparison of labor productivities across countries. Smith’s theory of absolute advantage predicts that the United States will produce only wheat (W) and the U.K. will produce only cloth (C). Both nations would gain if they have unrestricted trade in wheat and cloth. If they trade 6W for 6C, then the gain of the United States is 1/2 hour’s work, which is required
Absolute advantage
U.S. Wheat (bushel/hour) Cloth (yards/hour) 6 4 U.K. 1 5

Table 1

to produce the extra 2C that it is getting through trade with the U.K. Because the U.K. stops wheat

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