Learning Team Assignment: Comparative and Absolute Advantage

Learning Team Assignment: Comparative and Absolute Advantage

Purpose of Assignment

This assignment will help students master research and other analytical skills and will help students recognize reasons why economic growth varies by country. By using macroeconomic indicators, students will complete analysis and determine comparative and absolute advantage in different product categories for each country’s economy.

Resources Required

Tutorial help on Excel® and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft® Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products.

Grading Guide

Content

Met

Partially Met

Not Met

Comments:

Chose three countries from list below. Researched each country, using resources such as the CIA World Fact Book, World Bank data, World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Federal Reserve Bank. Researched each country’s economic, political, and cultural development:

·         USA

·         Australia

·         Canada

·         China

·         Saudi Arabia

·         Democratic Republic of Congo

·         France

·         Germany

·         Great Britain

·         Italy

·         Japan

Analyzed measures of economic growth and of comparative and absolute advantage in international trade.

Used tables and/or graphs to compare the following economic statistics/indicators of three chosen countries for the most recent year available and for 2009 (the trough of the last economic cycle):

·         Country Real GDP

·         Country CPI

·         Country Real Exports

·         Country Real Imports

·         Country Unemployment Rate

·         Country Industrial Production

Discussed reasons why the economic growth of the three countries varies. Answered the following question:

·         How does international trade influence the strength of the economy worldwide?

Discussed the following for each country: (USA, CHINA, FRANCE) minimum 300 words

·         At least two products that have provided the country an absolute advantage in trade (if any).

·         At least two products that have provided the country a comparative advantage in trade.

·         Factors that might have prevented any of three chosen countries from achieving absolute and/or comparative advantages.

Cited a minimum of three peer-reviewed sources.

The analysis is a minimum of 1,050 words in length.

Total Available

Total Earned

6

#/6