Question

How do comparative advantage and absolute advantage differ?

Answer 1

Absolute advantage is the ability to produce a good using fewer inputs than another producer, while comparative advantage is the ability to produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than another producer (reflecting the relative opportunity cost). One key difference is that one person can have an absolute advantage in both goods, but it is impossible for one person to have a comparative advantage in both goods due to the opportunity cost of a product being the inverse of the opportunity cost of the other.