Trading Blocs
Trading Blocs
Exam Boards: Edexcel, AQA, WJEC, CIE, OCR Level: AS/A LEVELS/IB/IAL
What are trading blocs?
Trading blocs are groups of countries that agree to reduce or eliminate trade barriers between themselves.
Examples of Trading Blocs
- ASEAN – Association of Southeast Asian Nations
- APEC – Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
- EU – European Union
- USMCA – The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (previously known as NAFTA)
- CIS – Commonwealth of Independent States
- COMESA – Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
- SAARC – South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
Types of Trading Blocs
1. Free Trade Areas
Trade barriers are removed between member countries. However, each member of the free trade area can impose trade restrictions on non-members. (NAFTA)
2. Customs Unions
There is free trade between member countries. However, every member of the customs union will have common external tariffs on goods and services on countries outside the union.
3. Common Markets
These have the same characteristics as customs unions but include the free movement of factors of production (e.g. Labour) between member countries.
4. Monetary Unions
These are customs unions which adopt a common currency e.g. Eurozone.
Advantages of Trading Blocs
1. Trade creation
This is the removal of barriers between member countries. This will result in an increase in trade within the trading bloc
2. Economies of Scale
Countries are able to trade freely between geographically close countries, allowing producers to benefit from lower costs
3. Lower costs
Economies of Scales enables countries to offer consumers lower prices as a result of the lower costs they incur. There is also likely to be a greater variety and choice of goods / services available
3. Increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
Large multinational corporations (MNC’s) would have unrestricted access to sell within the trading block
Disadvantages of Trading Blocs
1. Comparative advantage
Comparative advantage occurs when a country can produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than any competitor. However, due to the trade barriers against non-member countries, it’s likely to cause a decrease in specialisation and a decrease in the world output for that good or service.
Costs associated with a Monetary Union e.g. Eurozone
2. Trade diversion
This occurs due to trade being diverted away from a low cost and more efficient producer to a high cost and less efficient producer inside the bloc.
For example, the UK used to buy bananas from Ecuador or Brazil. However, after joining the EU it was now cheaper to buy from European countries than it was from Ecuador or Brazil. This is because countries outside of the European Union had high tariffs placed on their goods and services whereas countries within the trading bloc would have free trade or lower tariffs.
3. Transition costs
These are one-off costs associated with the change in the currency of a country e.g. menus, coin and cash machines etc.
4. Loss of exchange rate flexibility
Members of the Eurozone no longer have their own currencies and therefore lose their exchange rate flexibility.
5. Loss of independent monetary policy
Monetary policy is the manipulation of interest rates and money supply by the monetary policy committee. When a country joins a trading bloc, it will no longer have control of its independent monetary policy. The interest rates in the Eurozone are controlled by the European Central Bank (ECB)
Benefits of Monetary Unions
1. No transaction costs
The cost of changing currencies with importing and exporting will be eliminated.
2. Price transparency
Consumers will be able to compare prices immediately between countries.
3. Eliminate currency fluctuations
This could increase investment into the trading bloc.
Quick Fire Quiz – Knowledge Check
1. Define ‘Trading Bloc’ (2 marks)
2. Identify five examples of Trading Blocs (5 marks)
3. Identify and explain four types of Trading Blocs (8 marks)
4. Explain five costs of Trading Blocs (10 marks)
5. Explain two benefits of Trading Blocs (4 marks)
6. Explain three benefits of Monetary Unions (6 marks)
Next Revision Topics
- Patterns of Trade
- Terms of Trade
- World Trade Organisation
- Specialisation and Trade
- Globalisation
- Imports / Exports
- Balance of Payments
- Exchange Rates
- International Competitiveness
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