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Principles of Macroeconomics / Unit 17   MAC 1609 short lesson, about 20 seconds

When One Country Is Better at Everything

Captions available

The idea

A country can need fewer workers for every good and still gain from trade. Comparative advantage picks out the good where its advantage is relatively largest, and its partner's where its disadvantage is relatively smallest.

In practice

Northland is better at both and still gains by leaving cloth to Southland.

Where people slip

Total superiority cannot beat a time constraint; every worker has the same hours.

Your place on the trail

Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.

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