Question

In: Economics

Consider the Heckscher-Ohlin model with two countries, Home and Foreign, and two goods, carpets and tableware....

Consider the Heckscher-Ohlin model with two countries, Home and Foreign, and two goods, carpets and tableware. There are two factors, capital and labour, each of which can be used in the production of either good. Home is capital abundant whereas Foreign is labour abundant. Let PC and PT represent the prices of carpets and tableware, respectively. Assume that under autarky we have (PC/PT) Home < (PC/PT) Foreign. Moreover, assume that there is some degree of substitutability in production between capital and labour.

(a) Given the information above, which good is capital intensive and which good is labour intensive?

(b) Consider free trade between Home and Foreign. What is the trade pattern, i.e., which country exports and imports which good?

(c) As a result of trade, what happens to production of carpets and tableware (increase or decrease) in each country?

(d) As a result of trade, explain what happens to wage/rental ratio in each country as well as labour/capital ratio in each industry in each country?

(e) Who will support and who will oppose to free trade in each country?

(f) Now suppose that some of the workers from Home country migrate to Foreign country. (Assume that both goods continue to be produced after migration and goods prices are constant, i.e., does not change). Which factors benefit and which factors lose in each country? What happens to the production of each good in each country?

Solutions

Expert Solution


Related Solutions

Consider the simple Heckscher-Ohlin model discussed in class, with two countries, two goods, and two factors,...
Consider the simple Heckscher-Ohlin model discussed in class, with two countries, two goods, and two factors, and incomplete specialization. The two countries are Turkey and Vietnam, the two factors are capital and labor, and the two goods are chemicals and apparel. You are given the following data on the factor endowments for Turkey and Vietnam. Turkey has a labor force of 75 million workers and a capital stock of 375 thousand machines. Vietnam has a labor force of 80 million...
In a Heckscher-Ohlin model, suppose there are two countries: Scotland and Portugal. Two goods are produced...
In a Heckscher-Ohlin model, suppose there are two countries: Scotland and Portugal. Two goods are produced in this world: cheese ( C) and wine (W). Cheese and wine are both produced using two factors of production: labour (L) and land (T). Wine is land-intensive while cheese is labour-intensive. Suppose that Scotland and Portugal have the exact same quantity of labour, but Scotland has more land than Portugal. Assume that the post-trade world relative price of cheese is the mean (average)...
Consider a Heckscher-Ohlin world with two countries (Japan and Ireland), two goods (Cameras and Linen), and...
Consider a Heckscher-Ohlin world with two countries (Japan and Ireland), two goods (Cameras and Linen), and two factors of production (labor(L) and capital(K)). Both factors of production are used in the production of each of these goods. Suppose the K/L ratio used to make linen is less than the K/L ratio used to make cameras. Also, the ratio of total capital to labor in the economy is higher in Japan than Ireland. Assume that Japan and Ireland have the same...
Assume the Heckscher-Ohlin model where there are two goods, autos and cloth.
Assume the Heckscher-Ohlin model where there are two goods, autos and cloth. The home country is capital abundant while the foreign country is labor abundant. Autos are capital intensive while cloth is labor intensive. What effect does trade have on aggregate demand and supply of labor in the home country? a. The aggregate labor demand curve shifts left while the labor supply curve is unchanged  b. Both the aggregate labor demand and labor supply curves shift left c. The aggregate labor demand curve...
Consider two countries, Home and Foreign, trading two goods, Rice and Car. The Home country is...
Consider two countries, Home and Foreign, trading two goods, Rice and Car. The Home country is endowed with abundant capital relative to labor and hence has a comparative advantage to specialize in Cars; whereas the Foreign country is endowed with abundant labor and specializes in Rice. Once they start trading, the price of cars decreases, and the price of rice increases in the Foreign country. How would the increase in the price of rice affect the income of each of...
Consider two countries, Home and Foreign, trading two goods, Rice and Car. The Home country is...
Consider two countries, Home and Foreign, trading two goods, Rice and Car. The Home country is endowed with abundant capital relative to labor and hence has comparative advantage to specialize in Cars; whereas the Foreign country is endowed with abundant labor and specializes in Rice. Once they start trading, the price of car decreases, and the price of rice increases in the Foreign country. How would the decrease in the price of car affect the income of each of the...
In the Heckscher-Ohlin model, suppose that Home is abundant in skilled labor and that the computer...
In the Heckscher-Ohlin model, suppose that Home is abundant in skilled labor and that the computer industry is skilled-labor intensive. Both countries, Home and Foreign have always been open to trade, but a large earthquake kills half of Foreign’s skilled and unskilled workers. Which of these variables increase or decrease as a consequence? Why? Explain. a) Relative price of computers in Home b) Relative price of computers in Foreign c) Output of the computer industry in Home d) Skill premium...
Skill premium in the Heckscher-Ohlin Model Suppose that we are within Heckscher-Ohlin model with perfect competition....
Skill premium in the Heckscher-Ohlin Model Suppose that we are within Heckscher-Ohlin model with perfect competition. There are two goods (computers and shoes), and two factors of production: Skilled labor (H) and unskilled labor (L). The country has 10 skilled workers and 20 unskilled workers. Each factor is mobile across industries. The production function in the computer industry is given by: YC = LC1/3 HC2/3. The production function in the shoe industry is given by: YS = LS2/3 HS1/3. Denote...
Consider a world with two countries, Home and Foreign, both able to produce two goods: cloth...
Consider a world with two countries, Home and Foreign, both able to produce two goods: cloth and tablet computers. The production of both goods uses capital and labor in fixed proportions, with the tablets industry using more capital per worker than the cloth industry. The units of each input needed to produce one unit output are given by: capital Labor Cloth 1 2 Tablets 2 1 Both countries have 150 units of capital available for production, but the Home country...
This question is based on Heckscher-Ohlin (HO) Model. Suppose two countries, Farmland and Techland, use only...
This question is based on Heckscher-Ohlin (HO) Model. Suppose two countries, Farmland and Techland, use only capital and labor to produce two goods, Grain (G) and Cars (C). Farmland has 2,050 units of capital and 916 units of labor, and Techland has 816 units of capital and 270 units of labor. In Techland, there are 366 units of capital and 135 units of labor employed in the Grain industry. In Farmland, there are 926 units of capital and 618 units...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT