ECON222-21S2 (C) Semester Two 2021

International Trade

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 19 July 2021
End Date: Sunday, 14 November 2021
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 1 August 2021
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 1 October 2021

Description

Microeconomic analysis of international trade, trade policy, the welfare implications of trade and trade policy. The political economy of trade liberalisation.

ECON222 applies microeconomic theory to the analysis of international trade and trade policy. Part 1 gives a brief introduction to issues in international trade. Parts 2 and 3 look at classic trade theories. We will examine several reasons for countries wanting to engage in international trade. We will find that countries that differ either in technology or in input endowments gain from trading with each other, i.e., that trade is not a zero-sum game but offers mutual gains. Gains from trade arise because it allows for countries to specialise in what they are relatively good at, i.e., where their comparative advantage is. We will discuss how trade affects the distribution of income within a country. In particular, we will see that some interest groups may be hurt from trade even if the people on the average gain.

Part 4 discusses modern trade theories, which utilise models of imperfect competition and game theory. We will see that even countries that have the same technology and endowments, i.e., that do not possess a comparative advantage in anything, can gain from trade. Modern trade theories can explain why we observe intra-industry trade, i.e., countries exporting and importing the same or similar goods.

Part 5 looks at what happens to the welfare of countries and their various interest groups when countries that already engage in trade start using trade policy (tariffs, quotas, export subsidies, etc.) to limit trade flows. We will discuss the merits of the most common arguments for restricting trade. We will also analyse the welfare consequences of regional trade arrangements, i.e., partial integration.

Learning Outcomes

LO1:       Be able to discuss the key post-WWII international trade trends and institutions as well as New Zealand’s trade policy and key export and import goods and markets. (Term test, final exam)

LO2:       Be able to use the Ricardian and Heckscher-Ohlin models to analyse trade patterns, the effects of trade on consumption, production and the welfare of the different interest groups and the countries as a whole. (Term test, final exam)

LO3:       Be able to use basic models to analyse intra-industry trade. (Final exam)

LO4:       Be able to define and analyse the welfare effects of the most important trade policy instruments as well as regional free trade agreements. (Final exam)

Prerequisites

Course Coordinator

Onur Koska

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Assignments 10%
Final exam 50%
Online quizzes 10%
Term test 30%

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading

Krugman, Paul R. , Obstfeld, Maurice, Melitz, Marc J; International trade : theory and policy ; Eleventh edition, Global edition; Pearson, 2018.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $831.00

International fee $3,875.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Department of Economics and Finance .

All ECON222 Occurrences

  • ECON222-21S2 (C) Semester Two 2021