Discussions

Discuss the example of one country that has exploited globalization (i.e. a "winner") and another country that has not, that is, has become increasingly marginalized, during the globalization process (i.e. a loser). What similarities and differences you see with the answer of other students?

400 words

Answer two of the four questions and relate your answers with other students' answers when appropriate. Remember you must make at least two different posts per week, in two different days.

1. The world's poorest countries cannot find anything to export. There is no resource that is abundant-certainly not capital or land, and in small poor nations not even labor is abundant." Discuss and compare your answer with another student answer.

2. One of the most common critiques to free international trade is that, with free trade, only the countries with very low cost of labor (that is, wages) can be competitive. Do you think this reasoning is correct? Discuss and compare your answer with another student answer.

3. Present some real-world examples of trade between pairs of countries for which the factor endowment model would apply well. Discuss and compare your answer with another student's answer. [Example. If we consider oil and textile products, oil is capital-intensive (or "natural-resource"-intensive) and textile products like clothes are labor-intensive. Take two countries like Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates. Bangladesh is relatively rich in labor (labor-abundant) and exports textile products to the UAE, that are rich in natural resources and export oil to Bangladesh]

4. Give two examples of products that are traded on international markets for which economies of scale are especially important. Compare your answer with another student answer.

400 words

Answer question 1 and either question 2, 3 or 4. Remember you must make at least two different posts per week, in two different days.

1. From your previous knowledge and/or an internet search, explain and discuss how one recent "balance of payments crisis" (since the 1980s) in a country of your choice has developed (i.e. its causes and consequences), like, for example, Spain in 2010. Discuss and compare your answer with another student's answer.[maximum 250 words]

2. Explain why observing a current account deficit in a country is not necessarily worrisome. Discuss and compare your answer with another student's answer.

3. Explain the relationship between private savings and government savings and the current account balance. Make an appropriate real-world example. Discuss and compare your answer with another student's answer.

4. If you go to the BEA website and look at the Survey of Current Business for July 2010, the table on "U.S. International Transactions," you will find that in 2009, U.S. income receipts on its foreign assets were $585.2 billion (line 13), while the country's payments on liabilities to foreigners were $456.0 billion (line 30). Yet we saw in this chapter that the United States is a substantial net debtor to foreigners. Explain in your own words, also using examples if necessary, how it is possible that the United States received more income from foreign assets than it paid out. Discuss and compare your answer with another student's answer. [Hint: read the book chapter to clarify the issue if in doubt.]

500 words

Answer question 1 and one among 2, 3 and 4. Be original in your discussion. Remember you must make at least two different posts per week, in two different days.

1. Read this article : Overwhelmed by ‘Brexit'? Here Are the Basics By NIRAJ CHOKSHI, DANIEL VICTOR and SEWELL CHAN.

Based on the general description in the article, your personal opinions and your personal knowledge, discuss what you think is the most important reason why the UK should leave the EU or remain, and motivate. Also discuss what you think will be the main consequence(s). Where possible, relate your answer to other students'.

2. Discuss how the principle of free movement of labor and capital in the European Union may affect your life (or has, in case of personal experience). Why do you think you could benefit from it? Discuss and compare your answer with another student's answer.

3. What are the factors that make it convenient for a group of countries to begin a process of Economic integration? Discuss and compare your answer with another student's answer.

4. Make a brief description of one regional trade agreement among the following: NAFTA, MERCOSUR, ASEAN and EU. Describe its geographical characteristics (member countries) and level of integration reached. If possible, cite and discuss concrete examples showing how this economic integration may affect firms' or consumers' everyday life. Discuss and compare your answer with another student's answer. [For example: in the EU, free mobility of labor means that you can move from one country to another for work and carry with you your social security and pension benefits] (Maximum 230 words).

500 words.