Globalisation Flashcards
Four trends according to the WTO:
- The economic growth of many developing countries
- The growing integration of global production through supply chains
- The higher prices for agricultural goods and natural resources
- Increasing independence for the world economy, which causes shocks to reverberate more quickly and globally
Exports in Australia
- Contribute to around 21% of Australia’s GDP
- 22% of Australia’s workers are directly involved in trade related activities
- Iron ore, coal, natural gas, gold and bauxite are our main exports
Imports in Australia
- Large quantities of capital goods machinery, motor vehicles and consumer goods
International tourism
- Accounts for 30% of the world’s exports of commercial services
- 6th ranked export in Australia
- Highest ranked import in Australia
Foreign investment
- The Australian economy has relied on foreign investment to complement its domestic savings to help fund its economic development
- The recent mining boom would have not been possible without direct foreign investment
Immigration into Australia
- Important source of skilled labour
- Has helped to boost Australia’s population growth
How has the world economy become more integrated?
Improvements in communications, transport and the application of the internet
Patterns in global trade
Patterns in global trade
- World exports increased by a factor of 5 (500%) between 1990 and 2013
- World GDP increased by 70%
- The industrialisation of China occurred in 2002 causing it to become the world’s leading exporter in a decade
- World exports increased from 20% of world GDP in 1990 to 30% in 2013
- GDP per capita has grown by 60%
World organisations
- World trade organisation (WTO)
- International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- World bank
Trade makeup
80% goods
20% services
Countries that dominate in world trade
- China
- The Unites States
- Germany
Who is our largest exporter
China
Who is our largest importer
United States
What are the factors that affect economic transactions?
Exchange rate World economic growth Domestic economic growth Relative inflation rates Relative interest rates Productivity and cost efficiency
What is international competitiveness?
The degree to which a country can produce goods and services which meet the test of international markets, while simultaneously maintaining and expanding the real incomes of its people over the long term
What are the organisations that produce competitiveness reports?
- World Economic Forum (WEF)
- International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
How does the world economic forum define competitiveness?
Defines competitiveness as the set of institutions, policies and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country
Adam Smith (international competitiveness)
- Emphasised the importance of specialisation and division of labour
What are the main factors that drive competitiveness?
- Economic performance
- Government efficiency
- Business efficiency
- Infrastructure
What are the key determinants in international competitiveness?
- Changes in labour productivity due to factors such as technology, education and training
- Changes in a country’s price level (inflation) relative to its trading partners
- Changes in a country’s wages relative to its trading partners
- Changes in the exchange rate
Real labour costs
- Reflect changes in a country’s wages relative to its productivity
- Productivity measures how much output can be produces from a given input such as labour
- Measured by dividing the total production by the number of hours worked
- An increase in productivity will increase competitiveness
Australia’s trade weighted index (TWI)
- Measures the change in the value of the Australian dollar relative to our major trading partners
- Real TWI takes into account changes in the inflation rate
- If the real TWI falls, then this implies an improvement in competiveness since the price of Australia’s exports to overseas buyers will fall
What is the purchasing power parity theory?
- The same product should sell for the same price in different countries once converted to a common exchange rate
What is globalisation?
It refers to the opening of international borders to the flows of trade, investment, immigration, information and technology