A written brief about international trade based on an article from the news media

Order Description

The written brief of up to 1,200 words long based on an article from the news media. The article should be germane to at least one topic that we will cover in class.

Grading will give equal weight to: (i) relevance of the article chosen, (ii) analysis of the facts of the issue using the tools from class, (iii) an opinion on whether our trade theories are sufficient to explain what is being reported, and (iv) the clarity with which these arguments are articulated.

Topics covered in class:

1. Trade and Technology: The Ricardian Model

2. Gains and Losses from Trade in the Specific-Factors Model

3. Trade and Resources: The Heckscher-Ohlin Model

4. Movement of Labor and Capital Between Countries

5. Why trade? Imperfect competition and increasing returns to scale

6. Trade and inequality, redux: the case of offshoring (Foreign Outsourcing of Goods and Services)