Question

Use the following scenario to answer the following questions: Suppose that Canada, an industrialized nation, and Mexico, a developing nation, both produce clothes and cars. The real wage in Mexico is lower than in Canada. The countries have a free trade agreement. Each nation will find a comparative advantage.
A society could achieve a higher level of productivity if:________

a. each person in the society is a jack-of-all-trades.
b. it takes advantage of each individual's comparative advantage.
c. it does not trade with other nations.
d. it does not tax imported goods.
e. it does not limit exports.

Answer 1

Answer:

A society could achieve a higher level of productivity if:________

b. it takes advantage of each individual's comparative advantage.

Explanation:

In the same way that nations can achieve higher levels of productivity if each nation takes advantage of its comparative advantage in production, individuals in the society can help it to achieve a higher level of productivity if each individual takes advantage of her or his comparative advantage.  This economic concept calls for specialization in the fields where one has comparative skills that are better than others'.  This implies that one can deploy resources and skills to achieve more in a specialized field than being a jack-of-all-trades.