An examination of the Ricardian model of comparative advantage yields the clear result that trade is (potentially) beneficial for each of the two trading partners since it allows for an expanded consumption choice for each. However, for the world as a whole the expansion of production of one product must involve a decrease in the […]
Why is it important to understand fixed exchange rates in the modern global economy? What will be an ideal response? ANSWER Fixed rates continue to be important for four reasons: 1. Managed floating: Central banks intervene in foreign exchange markets. 2. Regional currency arrangements: Some countries peg their currency to another currency. 3. Developing […]
Central banks often intervene in currency markets. This activity is called A) managed floating. B) fixing exchange rates. C) currency warfare. D) super-pegging. E) flexible floating. ANSWER A
A firm that buys foreign exchange in order to take advantage of higher foreign interest rates is A) speculating. B) demonstrating purchasing power parity. C) engaging in interest rate arbitrage. D) responding to fluctuations in the business cycle. E) ignoring the nominal rate of exchange. ANSWER C
Export-led growth tends to A) discourage competition in the global economy. B) exploit domestic comparative advantages. C) lead to unemployment among domestic workers. D) help firms benefit from diseconomies of large-scale production. E) lower the overall volume of imports. ANSWER B
Raul Prebisch was an Argentine economist who argued that A) the terms of trade would decline for primary commodity exports. B) the terms of trade would decline for manufactured goods exports. C) imports substitution policies were a solution to export pessimism. D) Both A and C. E) Both B and C. ANSWER D
Explain why Relative PPP is useful when comparing countries that base their price levels on different product baskets. What will be an ideal response? ANSWER For Example: If the U.S. price level rises by 10% over a year while Europe’s rises by only 5%, relative PPP predicts a 5% depreciation of the dollar against […]
Explain Purchasing Power Parity. What will be an ideal response? ANSWER PPP states that the exchange rate between two countries’ currencies equals the ratio of the countries’ price levels. A fall in a currency’s domestic purchasing power (i.e. an increase in the domestic price level) will be associated with a proportional currency depreciation in […]
Describe the controversy surrounding the HO model and the widening of the American income gap. What will be an ideal response? ANSWER Over the past three decades, real wages in America paid to blue collar workers have only risen slightly whereas real wages paid to college graduates have risen significantly. Many pundits claim that […]
A product is produced in a monopolistically competitive industry with scale economies. If this industry exists in two countries, and these two countries engage in trade with each other, then we would expect A) each country will export different varieties of the product to the other. B) the country in which the price of the […]
