Question
Below is a quote from David Ricardo on British and Portuguese industries and comparative advantage England may be so circumstanced, that to produce the cloth
Below is a quote from David Ricardo on British and Portuguese industries and comparative advantage
"England may be so circumstanced, that to produce the cloth may require the labour of 100 men for one year; and if she attempted to make the wine, it might require the labour of 120 men for the same time. . . . To produce the wine in Portugal, might require only the labour of 80 men for one year, and to produce the cloth in the same country, might require the labour of 90 men for the same time. It would therefore be advantageous for her to export wine in exchange for cloth. This exchange might even take place, notwithstanding that the commodity imported by Portugal could be produced there with less labour than in England"
Suppose that the amount of labour Ricardo describes can produce 1,000 yards of cloth or 2,000 bottles of wine in either country. Then answer the following:
- What is England's marginal product of labour in cloth and in wine, and what is Portugal's marginal product of labour in cloth and in wine? Which country has absolute advantage in cloth, and in wine, and why? (5 marks)
- Compute the no-trade relative price of wine in each country. Which country has comparative advantage in wine, and why? (5 marks)
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