In: Economics
How differences in relaive prices befor internaional trade determines which products countries will export after international trade is opened up?
Relative price refers to the price of a good or a service, in measure or relation to the price of any other good or service. It is usually calculated as a ratio.
If there is a relative price difference between two countries' commodities, it means that one of the countries has comparative advantage over other. Comparative advantage means that the same good can be produced at a lower price in one of the countries. This lays the foundation for 'trade' between the two nations.
If the relative price of a commodity X in one country A is less than the other country B, it means that country A has a comparative advantage of producing that commodity at a lower cost than country B. This also means that country A would specialize in the production of that commodity it has a comparative advantage in. The second country B might have a comparative advantage in some other commodity, say Z, and would specialize in it.
Now, the trade would take place between the two nations. Country A would export part of its specialized good production X to country B and country B would export part of its specialized good production Z to country A. Thus, a country having a comparative advantage in a good exports it to the country having a comparative disadvantage in the same good. This continued process results in an international trade.