Question

Suppose there exist two imaginary countries, Sequoia and Glacier. Their labor forces are each capable of supplying four million hours per day that can be used to produce pistachios, chinos, or some combination of the two. The following table shows the amount of pistachios or chinos that can be produced by one hour of labor. Suppose that initially Glacier uses 1 million hours of labor per day to produce pistachios and 3 million hours per day to produce chinos, while Sequoia uses 3 million hours of labor per day to produce pistachios and 1 million hours per day to produce chinos. As a result, Sequoia produces 15 million pounds of pistachios and 20 million pairs of chinos, and Glacier produces 8 million pounds of pistachios and 48 million pairs of chinos. Assume there are no other countries willing to engage in trade, so, in the absence of trade between these two countries, each country consumes the amount of pistachios and chinos it produces. Sequoia's opportunity cost of producing 1 pound of pistachios is of chinos, and Glacier's opportunity cost of producing 1 pound of pistachios is of chinos. Therefore, has a comparative advantage in the production of pistachios, and comparative advantage in the production of chinos. Suppose that each country completely specializes in the production of the good in which it has a comparative advantage, producing only that good. In this case, the country that produces pistachios will produce million pounds per day, and the country that produces chinos will produce million pairs per day. In the following table, enter each country's production decision on the third row of the table (marked "Production"). Suppose the country that produces pistachios trades 18 million pounds of pistachios to the other country in exchange for 54 million pairs of chinos. In the following table, select the amount of each good that each country exports and imports in the boxes across the row marked "Trade Action, "and enter each country's final consumption of each good on the line marked "Consumption." When the two countries did not specialize, the total production of pistachios was 23 million pounds per day, and the total production of chinos production of chinos has increased by

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million pairs per day. Because the two countries produce more pistachios and more chinos under specialization, each country is able to gain from trade. Calculate the gains from trade-that is, the amount by which each country has increased its consumption of each good relative to the first row of the table. In the following table, enter this difference in the boxes across the last row (marked "Increase in Consumption").

Answer 1

Congaree's opportunity cost of producing 1 pound of pistachios is 4 pairs Correct of chinos, and Yosemite's opportunity cost of producing 1 pound of pistachios is 2 pairs Correct of chinos. Therefore, Yosemite Correct has a comparative advantage in the production of pistachios, and Congaree Correct has a comparative advantage in the production of chinos.

Suppose that each country completely specializes in the production of the good in which it has a comparative advantage, producing only that good. In this case, the country that produces pistachios will produce 32 million pounds per day, and the country that produces chinos will produce 80 million pairs per day.

When the two countries did not specialize, the total production of pistachios was 23 million pounds per day, and the total production of chinos was 68 million pairs per day. Because of specialization, the total production of pistachios has increased by 23 million pounds per day, and the total production of chinos has increased by 6 million pairs per day.

15, 20,8,48

15,20,8,48

0,80,32,0

imports 18, exports 54, exports 18, imports 54

18,26,14,54

3,6,6,6