Final answer:
Countries like the U.S. and Mexico specialize in goods where they have a comparative advantage and can trade to consume more than they produce. The U.S. moves labor to produce more refrigerators while Mexico produces more shoes; international trade benefits both countries.
Step-by-step explanation:
The scenario presented involves understanding the concept of comparative advantage and how countries allocate labor to maximize their production efficiency in international trade. In the given situation, the United States and Mexico are both shifting their production towards the goods for which they have a comparative advantage. The U.S. specializes in refrigerators, and Mexico specializes in shoes. The United States moved six workers from shoe production to refrigerator production, resulting in a decrease of 1,500 shoe units but an increase of 6,000 refrigerators. Conversely, Mexico transferred 10 workers from refrigerator production to shoe production, with a decrease of 2,500 refrigerators but an increase of 2,000 shoes.
After specialization, the country producing almonds (which is not mentioned in the context of the United States or Mexico) would produce a certain number of million pounds per day, and the country specializing in shorts (also not mentioned in the provided information) would produce a certain number of million pairs per day. However, in the context of the United States and Mexico, after specialization in shoes and refrigerators, respectively, and assuming trade takes place, the U.S. would be able to consume 3,500 pairs of shoes and 26,000 refrigerators if they export a maximum of 6,000 refrigerators and import at least 1,500 pairs of shoes. This trade would make the U.S. unambiguously better off, as they would consume more of both goods than initially produced.