International trade, real wages, and technical progress: The specific-factors model

摘要: Abstract It has been over fifty years since Stolper and Samuelson (1941) pointed out that whereas free trade may be beneficial to a country in aggregate terms, even broad-based factor such as labor hurt by the price changes which brings about. In particular, staple of Heckscher-Ohlin theory is relatively capital-abundant countries tend import commodities are produced labor-intensive techniques at home, competition engenders serves depress real wages. Recent battles obtain passage NAFTA accord Uruguay Round GATT agreements United States have focused on overall gains freer likely produce, suggested, perhaps only implicitly, sufficient compensate potential losers among working class. Such compensation schemes, however, rarely introduced, although certain sections economy achieve exceptions move more liberal trade.