Economics • International Trade

Two-Country Trade Model

Trade price —

Country A

Country B

Shift the curves

Country A

Country B

Net result: surplus vs the start

Country A consumers
—
Country A producers
—
Country B consumers
—
Country B producers
—

Two-Country Trade Model — Explanation

Two countries trade one good. Without trade, each has its own local equilibrium price, where its own demand meets its own supply. Once they trade there is one trade price for both, and it settles where the exporter's exports (its supply minus its demand) exactly equal the importer's imports (its demand minus its supply). The country with the lower local price exports; the one with the higher local price imports.

Learning objectives

For NCEA Level 2 Economics.

Where this fits

  • NCEA Level 2 Economics: 91223 Analyse international trade using economic concepts and models

Two-Country Trade Model — Key Terms

Key concepts in English, with te reo Māori, Chinese (Simplified) and Korean.

EnglishTe reo Māori中文(简体)한국어What it means on this page
Two-Country Trade Modelno attested term两国贸易模型 (liǎngguó màoyì móxíng)양국 무역 모형 (yangguk muyeok mohyeong)An international trade model demonstrating how two countries settle on a single trade equilibrium price.
Exporting Countryno attested term出口国 (chūkǒu guó)수출국 (suchulguk)The nation with a lower domestic local equilibrium price that produces an excess supply for export to international markets.
Importing Countryno attested term进口国 (jìnkǒu guó)수입국 (suipguk)The nation with a higher domestic local equilibrium price that experiences excess demand and imports goods from foreign suppliers.
Local Equilibrium (No-Trade) Priceno attested term本地均衡价格 (běndì jūnhéng jiàgé)국내 균형 가격 (gungnae gyunhyeong gagyeok)The domestic equilibrium price in a country before opening its borders to international trade.
Trade Price (P_trade)no attested term贸易均衡价格 (màoyì jūnhéng jiàgé)무역 균형 가격 (muyeok gyunhyeong gagyeok)The single international price both countries trade at, where the exporting country's exports exactly equal the importing country's imports.
Gains from Tradeno attested term贸易获益 (màoyì huòyì)무역 이득 (muyeok ideuk)The net increase in total combined economic welfare (consumer + producer surplus) when nations engage in free trade.
Comparative Advantageno attested term比较优势 (bǐjiào yōushì)비교 우위 (bigyo uwi)The ability of a country to produce a specific good at a lower opportunity cost than another country.
Trade Volume (Q_trade)no attested term贸易量 (màoyì liàng)무역 거래량 (muyeok georaeryang)The physical volume of goods transferred from the exporting country to the importing country at the trade price.
Exporter Surplus Gainno attested term出口国生产者收益수출국 생산자 잉여 증가The significant increase in producer surplus enjoyed by exporters when the trade price exceeds their domestic local equilibrium price.
Importer Surplus Gainno attested term进口国消费者收益수입국 소비자 잉여 증가The significant increase in consumer surplus enjoyed by importing households when the trade price is below their domestic local equilibrium price.
Consumer Surplusno attested term消费者剩余 (xiāofèizhě shèngyú)소비자잉여 (sobija ingyeo)The difference between what consumers are willing to pay for a good and what they actually pay.
Producer Surplusno attested term生产者剩余 (shēngchǎnzhě shèngyú)생산자잉여 (saengsanja ingyeo)The difference between the price producers receive for a good and the minimum price they would be willing to accept.

On the te reo Māori column. Terms marked as gaps have no attested equivalent in the sources checked — Karaitiana Taiuru's Dictionary of Māori Computer and Social Media Terms, Paekupu, the Reserve Bank's te reo financial glossary, NZQA and Te Aka. No coinage is printed as though it were established; where a class needs one, commission it from Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and credit the translator. Te reo Māori is not italicised and takes no plural "s".