The Standard Trade Model: Slides Prepared by Thomas Bishop

Chapter 5
The Standard
Trade Model
Slides prepared by Thomas Bishop

Preview
• Measuring the values of production

and consumption
• Welfare and terms of trade
• Effects of economic growth
• Effects of international transfers of income
• Effects of import tariffs and export subsidies
• Income distribution
Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-2

Introduction
• The standard trade model combines ideas from the

Ricardian model and the Heckscher-Ohlin model.
1. Differences in labor, labor skills, physical capital, land and
technology between countries cause productive differences,
leading to gains from trade.
2. These productive differences are represented as
differences in production possibility frontiers, which
represent the productive capacities of nations.
3. A country’s PPF determines its relative supply curve.
4. National relative supply curves determine world relative
supply, which along with world relative demand determines
an equilibrium under international trade.

The Value of Production
• Recall that when the economy maximizes its

production possibilities, the value of output V
lies on the PPF.
• V = PCQC + PF QF describes the value of
output in a two good model, and when this
value is constant the equation’s line is called
and isovalue line.
 The slope of any equation’s line equals – (PC /PF),
and if relative prices change the slope changes.

The Value of Production (cont.)

The Value of Production (cont.)

The Value of Consumption
• The value of the economy’s consumption is

constrained to equal the value of the
economy’s production.
 PC DC + PF DF = PC QC + PF QF = V
• Production choices are determined by the

economy’s PPF and the prices of output.
• What determines consumption choices
(demand)?

The Value of Consumption (cont.)
• Consumer preferences and prices determine

consumption choices.
• Consumer preferences are represented by
indifference curves: combinations of goods
that make consumers equally satisfied
(indifferent).


• Indifference curves are downward sloping to

represent the fact that if a consumer has more cloth
he could have less food and still be equally satisfied.
• Indifference curves farther from the origin represent
larger quantities of food and cloth, which should make
consumers more satisfied and better off.
• Indifference curves are flatter when moving to the
right: the more cloth and the less food that is
consumed, the more valuable an extra calorie of food
becomes relative to an extra m2 of cloth.

Prices and the Value of Consumption
• Prices also determine the value of

consumption.
 When the price of cloth rises relative to the price of
food, the economy is better off when it exports
cloth: a higher indifference curve results.
 A higher price for cloth exports means that more
food can be imported.
 A higher relative price of cloth will also influence
consumption decisions about cloth versus food: a
higher relative price of cloth makes consumers
willing to buy less cloth and more food.

Prices and
the Value of Consumption (cont.)

Prices and
the Value of Consumption (cont.)
• The change in welfare (income) when the
price of one good changes relative to the price
of another is called the income effect.
 The income effect is represented graphically by
shifting the indifference curve.
• The substitution of one good for another when
the price of the good changes relative to the
other is called the substitution effect.
 This substitution effect is represented graphically
by a moving along a given indifference curve.

Welfare and the Terms of Trade
• The terms of trade refers to the price of

exports relative to the price of imports.
 When a country exports cloth and the relative
price of cloth increases, the terms of trade
increase or “improve”.
• Because a higher price for exports means that
the country can afford to buy more imports, an
increase in the terms of trade increases a
country’s welfare.
• A decrease in the terms of trade decreases a
country’s welfare.
Determining Relative Prices
• To determine the price of cloth relative to the

price food in our model, we again use relative
supply and relative demand.
 relative supply considers world supply of cloth
relative to that of food at each relative price
 relative demand considers world demand of cloth
relative to that of food at each relative price
 In a two country model, world quantities are
the sum of quantities from the domestic and
foreign countries.

Determining Relative Prices (cont.)

The Effects of Economic Growth
• Is economic growth in China good for the

standard of living in the US?
• Is growth in a country more or less valuable
when it when it is integrated in the world
economy?
• The standard trade model gives us precise
answers to these questions.

The Effects of Economic Growth (cont.)
• Growth is usually biased: it occurs in one

sector more than others, causing relative
supply to shift.
 Rapid growth has occurred in US computer
industries but relatively little growth has occurred in
US textile industries.
 According to the Ricardian model, technological
progress in one sector causes biased growth.
 According to the Heckscher-Ohlin model, an
increase in one factor of production (e.g., an
increase in the labor force, arable land, or the
capital stock) causes biased growth.
The
Effects of
Economic
Growth
(cont.)

• Biased growth and the resulting shift in relative supply

causes a change in the terms of trade.
 Biased growth in the cloth industry (in either the domestic or
foreign country) will lower the relative price of cloth and lower
the terms of trade for cloth exporters.
 Biased growth in the food industry (in either the domestic or
foreign country) will raise the relative price of cloth and raise
the terms of trade for cloth exporters.
 Suppose that the domestic country exports cloth and
imports food.

The Effects
of Economic
Growth (cont.)

The Effects
of Economic
Growth (cont.)

• Export-biased growth is growth that expands a

country’s PPF disproportionally in production of that
country’s exports.
 Biased growth in the food industry in the foreign country is
export-biased growth for the foreign country.
• Import-biased growth is growth that expands a

country’s PPF disproportionally in production of that
country’s imports.
 Biased growth in cloth production in the foreign country is
import-biased growth for the foreign country.

• Export-biased growth reduces a country’s

terms of trade, generally reducing its
welfare and increasing the welfare of
foreign countries.
• Import-biased growth increases a country’s
terms of trade, generally increasing its
welfare and decreasing the welfare of
foreign countries.

Has Growth in Asia Reduced
the Welfare of High Income Countries?
• The standard trade model predicts that import biased
growth in China reduces the US terms of trade and
the standard of living in the US.
 Import biased growth for China would occur in sectors that
compete with US exports.
• But this prediction is not supported by data:

there should be negative changes in the terms of
trade for the US and other high income countries.
 In fact, the terms of trade for high income countries have
been positive and negative for developing Asian countries.

Has Growth in Asia Reduced the
Welfare of High Income Countries? (cont.)

The Effects of
International Transfers of Income
• Transfers of income sometimes occur from
one country to another.
 War reparations or foreign aid may influence
demand for traded goods and therefore
relative demand.
 International loans may also influence relative
demand in the short run, before the loan is
paid back.
• How do transfers of income across countries
affect relative demand and the terms of trade?

The Effects of
International Transfers of Income (cont.)
• If the domestic country generates national
income for transfers by
 increasing the price of imports to reduce their
purchases and by decreasing the price of exports
to increase their sales,
 the relative demand curve should shift left and the
terms of trade would fall.

The Effects of

The Effects of
• But after the transfer of income from the
domestic country,
 demand for foreign goods could fall in the domestic
country and demand for domestic goods could rise
in the foreign country,
 so the relative demand curve might not shift left
and the terms of trade might not fall.

The Effects of
• How much does demand for domestic goods
increase in the foreign country when it
receives a transfer of income from the
domestic country?
 If the foreign country has a higher marginal
propensity to spend on its own goods than on
imports, demand for its own goods will rise
more than demand for imports from the
domestic country.

The Effects of
• How much does demand for foreign goods
decrease in the domestic country when it
reduces its income through a transfer?
 If the domestic country has a higher marginal
propensity to spend on its own goods than on
imports, demand for its own goods will fall more
than demand for imports from the foreign country.
• If each country has a higher marginal
propensity to spend on its own products, the
relative demand curve would shift left after a
transfer of income from the domestic country.
The Effects of
• In fact, countries spend most of their
(marginal) income on their own products.
 Americans spend only 11% of national income on
imports and 89% on domestically produced goods.
• Transportation costs, tariffs, and other
barriers cause domestic residents to favor
domestic goods.
• We predict that the relative demand curve will
shift left with a transfer of income, decreasing
the terms of trade for the donor nation.
The Effects of
• In addition, the existence of non-traded goods
and services may cause relative supply shifts
that reinforce the decrease in the terms of
trade for a donor country.
 Industries that produce non-traded goods and
services compete for resources with industries that
produce traded goods.
 A transfer of income from a donor country will
reduce demand for and production of non-traded
goods in the donor country, so that these
resources can be used in its export sector.

The Effects of
 The supply of exports relative to imports in the
donor country increases, reducing the terms of
trade for the donor country.
 A transfer of income from a donor country will
increase demand for and production of non-traded
goods in foreign countries, so that fewer resources
can be used in its export sector.
 The supply of exports relative to imports in the
foreign country decreases, reducing the terms of
trade for the donor country.

Import Tariffs and Export Subsidies
• Import tariffs are taxes levied on imports

• Export subsidies are payments given to
domestic producers that export.
• Both policies influence the terms of trade and
therefore national welfare.

Import Tariffs and Export Subsidies (cont.)
• Import tariffs and export subsidies drive a

wedge between prices in world markets (or
external prices) and prices in domestic
markets (or internal prices).
• The terms of trade refers to the relative value
of a country’s exports and a country’s imports.
 Since exports and imports are traded in world
markets, the terms of trade measures external
prices.

Import Tariffs and Distribution of Income
Across Countries
• If the domestic country imposes a tariff on food
imports, the price of food relative to price cloth that
domestic citizens face is higher.
 Likewise, the price of cloth relative to the price of food that
domestic consumers and producers pay is lower.
 Domestic producers will receive a lower relative price of
cloth, and therefore will be more willing to switch to food
production: the relative supply curve will shift.
 Domestic consumers will pay a lower relative price of cloth,
and therefore be more willing to switch to cloth consumption:
the relative demand curve will shift.

Across Countries (cont.)

Across Countries (cont.)
• When the domestic country imposes an import tariff,
the terms of trade increases and the welfare of the
country may increase.
• The magnitude of this effect depends on the size of
the domestic country relative to the world economy.
 If the country is small part of the world economy, its tariff (or
subsidy) policies will not have much effect on world relative
supply and demand, and thus on the terms of trade.
 But for large countries, a tariff rate that maximizes national
welfare at the expense of foreign countries may exist.

Export Subsidies and Distribution of
Income Across Countries
• If the domestic country imposes a subsidy
on cloth exports, the price of cloth relative to
price food that domestic citizens face
is higher.
 Domestic producers will receive a higher relative
price of cloth, and therefore will be more willing to
switch to cloth production: the relative supply curve
will shift.
 Domestic consumers will pay a higher relative
price of cloth, and therefore be more willing to
switch to food consumption: the relative demand
curve will shift.
Income Across Countries (cont.)

Income Across Countries (cont.)
• When the domestic country imposes an
export subsidy, the terms of trade decreases
and the welfare of the country decreases to
the benefit of the foreign country.

Import Tariffs, Export Subsidies and
Distribution of Income Across Countries
• The two country, two good model predicts that
 an import tariff by the domestic country can
increase domestic welfare at the expense of the
foreign country.
 an export subsidy by the domestic country
reduces domestic welfare to the benefit of the
foreign country.

in Other Countries
• But we have ignored the effects of tariffs and
subsidies that occur in a world with many countries
and many goods:
 A foreign country may subsidize the export of a good that the
US also exports, which will reduce its price in world markets
and decrease the terms of trade for the US.
• The EU subsidizes agricultural exports, which reduce the price
that American farmers receive for their goods in world markets.
 A foreign country may put a tariff on an imported good that
the US also imports, which will reduce its price in world
markets and increase the terms of trade for the US.

in Other Countries (cont.)
• Export subsidies by foreign countries on goods that
 the US imports reduce the world price of US imports and
increase the US terms of trade.
 the US also exports reduce the world price of US exports and
decrease the US terms of trade.
• Import tariffs by foreign countries on goods that

 the US exports reduce the world price of US exports and
decrease the US terms of trade.
 the US also imports reduce the world price of US imports and
increase the US terms of trade.

• Export subsidies on a good decrease the

relative world price of that good by increasing
relative supply of that good and decreasing
relative demand of that good.
• Import tariffs on a good decrease the relative
world price of that good (and increase the
relative world price of other goods) by
increasing the relative supply of that good and
decreasing the relative demand of that good.

Distribution of Income Within a Country
• Because of changes in relative prices,
import tariffs and export subsidies have
effects on income distribution among
producers within a country.

Distribution of Income Within a Country (cont.)
• Generally, a domestic import tariff increases income

for domestic import-competing producers by allowing
the price of their goods to rise to match increased
import prices, and it shifts resources away from the
export sector.
• Generally, a domestic export subsidy increases
income for domestic exporters, and it shifts resources
away from the import-competing sector.

Summary
1. A change in relative prices, say due to trade, causes

an income effect and a substitution effect.
2. The terms of trade refers to the price of exports
relative to the price of imports in world markets.
3. Export-biased growth reduces a country’s terms of
trade, generally reducing its welfare and increasing
the welfare of foreign countries.
4. Import-biased growth increases a country’s terms of
trade, generally increasing its welfare and
decreasing the welfare of foreign countries.

Summary (cont.)
5. The effect of international transfers of

income depend on the marginal propensity
to spend on domestic goods, but generally
the relative demand curve of donor will shift
left leading to a decrease in the donor’s
terms of trade.
6. When the domestic country imposes an
import tariff, the terms of trade increases and
the welfare of the country may increase.

Summary (cont.)
7. When the domestic country imposes an
export subsidy, the terms of trade decreases
and the welfare of the country decreases.
8. Generally, a domestic import tariff increases
income for domestic import-competing
producers and shifts resources away from
the export sector.
9. Generally, a domestic export subsidy
increases income for domestic exporters
and shifts resources away from the
import-competing sector.

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Chapter 5

Slides prepared by Thomas Bishop

• Measuring the values of production

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-2

• The standard trade model combines ideas from the

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-3

• Recall that when the economy maximizes its

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-4

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-5

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-6

• The value of the economy’s consumption is

• Production choices are determined by the

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-7

• Consumer preferences and prices determine

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-8

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-9

• Indifference curves are downward sloping to

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-10

• Prices also determine the value of

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-11

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-12

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-13

• The terms of trade refers to the price of

• To determine the price of cloth relative to the

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-15

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-16

• Is economic growth in China good for the

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-17

• Growth is usually biased: it occurs in one

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-19

• Biased growth and the resulting shift in relative supply

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved. 5-20

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• Export-biased growth is growth that expands a

• Import-biased growth is growth that expands a

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• Export-biased growth reduces a country’s

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• But this prediction is not supported by data:

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• Import tariffs are taxes levied on imports

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• Import tariffs and export subsidies drive a

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