In a committee meeting of the United Nations you are considering the following questions:
1. When is international trade an opportunity for workers? When is it a threat to workers?
2. What are some of the major challenges confronting the international trading system?
According to Ricardian trade theory, nations are better off when trade barriers are removed; each nation specializes in the area where they have a comparative advantage, and they trade. What does that imply for a country's workers? What does this imply for workers in the industrialized countries? What does this imply for workers in developing countries? Does it matter in which industry they work?
This assignment points out that there are gainers and losers to this approach. American workers in heavy industry have certainly felt changes. There must be some areas where the United States would have a comparative advantage -- and one would expect workers in those industries to do well. ie, how would workers in high-tech industries fare? What industries should the US specialize in? What about workers in the countries from which we import goods? When will they benefit? When will they lose?
The response addresses the queries posted in 1250 words with six references.