Topic: Comparative Advantage

Comparative Advantage for Oil

Due to the global economic slowdown, we were benefiting from relatively low oil prices. But because of the instability of the Middle East and the slowing of the global economy we are seeing oil prices fall. But when the global economy fully recovers, you can expect the price of gas to keep rising.

One of the key principles of economics presented in Chapter 17 is the law of comparative advantage. In view the President Obama's hold on the Keystone Pipeline project and our memory of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago, I want you to see yourself as an economic adviser to the U.S. Congress and the president, and in your initial opinion present your advice as to what they should do or not do. Support your argument with economic principles including the concept of comparative advantage. In your responses to your classmates' opinions, state clearly, and on what grounds, you agree or disagree. Noteworthy is the value of the dollar on the exchange markets, which is also a topic of Chapter 17. Oil is bought and sold globally in U.S. dollars; so all countries must buy dollars on the exchange markets to buy oil. Effectively, the value of the dollar to another nation's currency could make oil more expensive or less expensive for that nation depending on the exchange rate when a purchase is made.

The most important reasons to employ a citation style such as the APA method is to ensure you are giving due credit to others for the ideas that you are using as a basis for your essay. Any ideas or research you incorporate that is not your own must be cited.