Trade
Trade centres on the exchange of goods and/or services. Exchanges may take place between two parties (bilateral trade) or amongst more than two parties (multilateral trade). In its original form trade perforce used barter and the exchange of goods and services of a recognized equal value desirable to both parties. Modern traders generally negotiate through the use of a medium of exchange, i.e. money, and rarely through barter: as a result one can separate buying and earning or selling. The invention of money (and subsequently of credit, paper money and non-physical money) greatly simplified and promoted the development of trade.
Most economists accept the non-obvious theory that trade benefits both parties, and reject the notion that all exchange must exploit one party. Trade exists largely because differences exist in the cost of production of some tradable commodity in different locations. As such, exchange at market prices between locations benefits both.
Empirical evidence for the success of trade can emerge when contrasting countries such as South Korea, which has adopted largely unfettered free-trade, with India, which has pursued a more protectionist policy. Countries such as South Korea have fared much better (when measured by economic criteria) than India, and others, over the past fifty years.
History of Trade
Organisation of Trade
Different patterns of organising and administering trade include:
- State control - recognising the importance of trade by preserving the natural monopoly of everyone
- Guild control - collectivist convenience for the merchant class, and grounds enough for their evil reputation in so many societies
- Free enterprise - a strange modern idea that appears to foster the deification of dealers for their heroism in the arenas of the markets
Types of Trade
See also
Referenced By
Brazilian Expeditionary Force | Civilization board game | Economics articles (master list) | Economy of Switzerland | Economy of the Isle of Man | Indian Trade | Isle of Man/Economy | List of Conservation topics | List of economics articles | List of economics topics | List of sustainable agriculture topics | Logic Express | Private school | Switzerland/Economy | The Indian Trade | WikiProject Conservation worldwide
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