Comparative Advantage Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

FREE TRADE is one of the most cherished goals of American economists. The the-ory of comparative advantage, taught in every introductory economics course, is regarded as a triumph of scientific reason and a compel-ling argument to reduce... more

FREE TRADE is one of the most cherished goals of American economists. The the-ory of comparative advantage, taught in every introductory economics course, is regarded as a triumph of scientific reason and a compel-ling argument to reduce legal barriers to in-ternational trade. ...

Technology will help to address the challenges for sustainable forestry in the 21st century. Some of the challenges will include the shift of production from native forest to plantations in areas of comparative advantage, more efficient... more

Technology will help to address the challenges for sustainable forestry in the 21st century. Some of the challenges will include the shift of production from native forest to plantations in areas of comparative advantage, more efficient processing delinking end-use products from raw wood characteristics, increased demand, better information technologies to support decision makers, and more options for conserving biodiversity. Definitions of sustainability will vary in time and space as society's expectations and aspirations change, so there can be no 'silver bullet' to ensure sustainability. However, progress may be facilitated with a systematic approach to forest management embracing the usual planning cycle: formulation of objectives, preparation of a strategy, planning, implementing, monitoring, and reappraisal. This requires a good understanding of each particular situation. Managers need good resource assessment and decision support systems; they must foster stak...

Following a brief historical introduction, we first demonstrate that proper elements are quasiintegrals of motion and show how they are used to classify asteroids into families and study the long-term dynamics of asteroids. Then, we give... more

Following a brief historical introduction, we first demonstrate that proper elements are quasiintegrals of motion and show how they are used to classify asteroids into families and study the long-term dynamics of asteroids. Then, we give a complete overview of the analytical, semianalytical, and synthetic theories for the determination of proper elements of asteroids, with a special emphasis on the

The article attempts a comprehensive review of the human security concept in order to question its utility for both research and policy-making. It notes the term’s interdisciplinary and extensively normative content that have facilitated... more

The article attempts a comprehensive review of the human security concept in order to question its utility for both research and policy-making. It notes the term’s interdisciplinary and extensively normative content that have facilitated its evolution into a successful security discourse. On the other hand, human security’s wide appeal has as a side-effect an extended conceptual polysemy inhibiting the cumulation of knowledge and the development of a relevant theory. Absence of conceptual clarity has also complicated its policy implementation. The article attempts to break the deadlock and move the debate forward by using the work of John Gerring and Paul A. Barresi on concept formation as an organizing device.

This paper examines the inherent link between a countrys education system and its compar-ative advantage in trade. It suggests that di¤erences in education systems across countries are probably a stable equilibrium result that is... more

This paper examines the inherent link between a countrys education system and its compar-ative advantage in trade. It suggests that di¤erences in education systems across countries are probably a stable equilibrium result that is compatible with and reinforced by trade patterns. In equilibrium, two distinct types of countries emerge, one that exports creativity-intensive prod-ucts and has an education system encouraging diversity (as illustrated by the US), and the other one that exports high-quality manufactured products and has an education system promoting homogeneity in student quality (as illustrated by Japan). Our …ndings present a novel expla-nation for the coexistence of low test scores of students and high economic performance in the US. JEL Classi…cation: F16, I20, J24.

This paper attempts to put forth a blueprint for understanding the function entrepreneurs perform in international trade, by drawing on the connection between comparative advantage and entrepreneurial judgment. The mutual benefits of... more

This paper attempts to put forth a blueprint for understanding the function entrepreneurs perform in international trade, by drawing on the connection between comparative advantage and entrepreneurial judgment. The mutual benefits of specialization and exchange are theoretically shown whenever we find a minimum relative difference between the productivity of resources; but we argue in this paper that the concrete pattern of specialization - as it is manifest in exchanges between individuals, firms or states - cannot be discovered from outside the market. Rather, comparative advantage has an irreducible entrepreneurial component or otherwise put, international specialization is an entrepreneurially-driven phenomenon. We explain this by unearthing the connection between entrepreneurship (understood as judgment of the allocation of resources under uncertainty), heterogeneity of capital and comparative advantage.

China's trade pattern is influenced not just by its overall comparative advantage in labor intensive goods but also by geography. We use two variants of the Eaton-Kortum (2002) model to study China's local... more

China's trade pattern is influenced not just by its overall comparative advantage in labor intensive goods but also by geography. We use two variants of the Eaton-Kortum (2002) model to study China's local comparative advantage. The theory predicts that China's share of export markets should grow most rapidly where China's share is initially large. A corollary is that exporters that

This book chapter reviews the emergence and distinctiveness of the 'developmental state' approach to building national skills systems, making reference to S. Korea and Singapore specifically, though some comparisons are also made to Japan... more

This book chapter reviews the emergence and distinctiveness of the 'developmental state' approach to building national skills systems, making reference to S. Korea and Singapore specifically, though some comparisons are also made to Japan and Taiwan. By contrasting S. Korea with Singapore, we can see that the developmental state approach is not a rigidly prescribed model, but a general approach that combines the state taking a strong lead in shaping economic development with the ‘market’ continuing to play an important role. We will identify the key characteristics that were present in the period of industrial take-off, and how these started to wane as industrialisation begins to mature. This book chapter is an update of many previous papers written by the authors on the Asian developmental states. It also identifies how the model has evolved.

Business process outsourcing (BPO) generally refers to the operation of letting out the task of performing particular functions of an enterprise to another, often a third party and, in some cases, its own subsidiary. Under the pressure of... more

Business process outsourcing (BPO) generally refers to the operation of letting out the task of performing particular functions of an enterprise to another, often a third party and, in some cases, its own subsidiary. Under the pressure of nonavailability of manpower in the country of origin, many multinational companies (MNCs) decided to outsource their business processes to remote locations during the initial phase of globalization. In the Indian context, this process could throw down sturdy roots due to the encouraging supply-and-demand factors in the country. This paper takes a close look at the BPO industry in India, the service lines in which the country has specialized, and India's comparative advantages vis-à-vis competitor countries, e.g., China and the Philippines. The paper highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the Indian industry operating in this segment.

Our body compulsory demands food, water and air to keep its vital functions and yet their economic nature is rather diverse with food mostly considered a private good, water suffering an accelerated privatization process and air so far... more

Our body compulsory demands food, water and air to keep its vital functions and yet their economic nature is rather diverse with food mostly considered a private good, water suffering an accelerated privatization process and air so far considered a global common good. Food has evolved from a common good and local resource to a national asset and then to a transnational commodity as the commodification process is rather completed nowadays. Cultivated food is fully privatized and this consideration means that human beings can eat food as long as they have money to but it or means to produce it. With the dominant no money-no food rationality, hunger still prevails in a world of abundance. In order to provide a sound foundation for the transition towards sustainable food systems, the very nature of food as a pure private good is contested and subsequently reversed in this paper, proposing a re-conceptualisation of food as a common good, a necessary narrative for the redesign of the dominating agro-industrial food system that merely sees food as a tradable commodity. This aspirational transition shall lead us to a more sustainable, fairer and farmer-centred food system. The idea of the commons is applied to food, deconstructing food as a pure private good and reconstructing it as an impure commons that can be better produced and distributed by a hybrid tri-centric governance system compounded by market rules, public regulations and collective actions. Several food-related elements are already considered as common goods (i.e. fish stocks, wild fruits, cuisine recipes, agricultural knowledge, food safety regulations and unpatented genetic resources) as well as food’s implications (hunger eradication) and benefits (public health and good nutrition). Should food and be consider as a commons, the implications for the governance of the global food system would be enormous, with examples ranging from placing food outside the framework agreements dealing with pure private goods, banning financial speculation on food commodities or preparing international binding agreements to govern the production, distribution and access of food to every human being.

In 2010, the World Bank launched Urgent: Evoke, an alternate reality game. The game, which was designed to promote the World Bank Institute’s vision of positive global change through social innovation, made substantial use of Web 2.0... more

In 2010, the World Bank launched Urgent: Evoke, an alternate reality game. The game, which was designed to promote the World Bank Institute’s vision of positive global change through social innovation, made substantial use of Web 2.0 tools like blogs, personal profiles and social networks. This article offers a case study of Urgent: Evoke that is divided into three sections: first, the unique genre of games (alternate reality games) into which Evoke falls is explained and some of the possible uses of this genre in higher education are discussed; second, the functioning of Evoke game world is explained; and third, the results of Evoke’s educational project are assessed. The case study concludes with some commentary on Evoke’s ideological message, which those less sympathetic to capitalism may view as problematic.