[Marxism] Measuring unequal exchange in the world economy

["Jurriaan Bendien" <bendien@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There's some attempt to measure unequal exchange on the net - see Gernot
Kohler's data at :
http://csf.colorado.edu/wsystems/archive/papers/kohler/kohler3.htm However,
Kohler poetically defines the "fair value of exports" (H) as H= (G/1.2) * F,
where G =  the exchange rate deviation D/C, where D = GDP per capita at
purchasing power parity, C = GDP per capita in US$, F = value of exports to
the OECD in US$, and (1.2)=the exchange rate deviation for the OECD bloc
from the US$. Kohler then calculates the net loss through inequal exchange
(J) as: J=F-H where F=value of exports to the OECD in US$ and H = the fair
value of exports. However, even if such a measurement could be considered
accurate, this attributes unequal exchange exclusively to exchange rate
differentials in export sales, and looks only at exports to OECD countries.
It ignores imports into the exporting countries, and all sorts of other ways
which reduce net income of the producing countries, starting off with
commodity prices. To obtain a better understanding of that, we have to look
at relative input costs, wage costs, compare the relationship between input
costs and output values in exporting and importing countries, the difference
between import value and final sale value, debt service ratios, and all
sorts of other issues for which I do not have the time just now.

The nationmaster site provides a simple comparison of terms of trade for
1999, where 1980 = 100, i..e  the ratio of the export price index to the
import price index measured relative to the base year 1980. A value of more
than 100 implies that the price of exports has risen relative to the price
of imports, a value less than 100 implies that the price of exports has
fallen relative to the price of imports. This is calculated on the basis of
data on terms of trade from the World Bank compiled in 2002 (World
Development Indicators 2002). But on its own, this information obviously
doesn't mean all that much, we need to know the volume of imports and
exports as well, and the relationship between foreign trade and net output,
quite apart from the distribution of national income.

1. Poland 285
2. Japan 196
3. Burkina Faso 170
4. Rwanda 160
5. Paraguay 154
6. India 148
7. Mauritania 144
8. Brazil 142
9. Italy 132
10. Costa Rica 131
11. Israel 129
12. Spain 126
13. Jordan 120
14. Philippines 119
15. Finland 116
16. France 116
17. Morocco 116
18. United States 116
19. Zimbabwe 115
20. El Salvador 112
21. Germany 112
22. Uruguay 112
23. Kenya 110
24. Sweden 110
25. New Zealand 109
26. Togo 109
27. Pakistan 107
28. China 105
29. Sierra Leone 105
30. Hungary 102
31. Netherlands 102
32. Senegal 102
33. Benin 101
34. Hong Kong 101
35. Madagascar 101
36. United Kingdom 101
37. Cape Verde 100
38. Korea, South 99
39. Bangladesh 97
40. Mauritius 97
41. Ireland 96
42. Sri Lanka 95
43. Honduras 95
44. Panama 91
45. Norway 86
46. Chad 85
47. Mali 85
48. Cameroon 84
49. Tunisia 84
50. Guinea-Bissau 83
51. Cote d'Ivoire 82
52. Lebanon 82
53. Singapore 81
54. Barbados 80
55. Fiji 80
56. Australia 79
57. Cyprus 79
58. Oman 79
59. Colombia 78
60. Guatemala 77
61. Argentina 74
62. Congo, Democratic Republic of the 74
63. Cuba 74
64. Jamaica 73
65. Kuwait 73
66. Lesotho 73
67. Greece 72
68. Thailand 72
69. Angola 71
70. Guyana 70
71. Swaziland 70
72. Suriname 67
73. Malawi 65
74. Nicaragua 64
75. Sudan 61
76. Trinidad and Tobago 60
77. Dominican Republic 58
78. Comoros 57
79. Syria 57
80. Indonesia 56
81. Qatar 53
82. Bolivia 52
83. Burundi 51
84. Libya 50
85. Egypt 49
86. Gabon 49
87. Haiti 48
88. Ghana 47
89. Malaysia 47
90. Saudi Arabia 45
91. Venezuela 45
92. Peru 42
93. Chile 41
94. Central African Republic 41
95. Niger 41
96. Tanzania 41
97. Ecuador 40
98. United Arab Emirates 40
99. Zambia 40
100. Algeria 36




 .






_______________________________________________
Marxism mailing list
Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism