in corn production.

In this example, there is symmetry between absolute and comparative advantage. Saudi Arabia needs fewer

worker hours to produce oil (absolute advantage, see Table 19.1), and also gives up the least in terms of other

goods to produce oil (comparative advantage, see Table 19.4). Such symmetry is not always the case, as we will

show after we have discussed gains from trade fully, but first, read the following Clear It Up feature to make

sure you understand why the PPF line in the graphs is straight.
454 19 • International Trade

CLEAR IT UP

Can a production possibility frontier be straight?
When you first met the production possibility frontier (PPF) in the chapter on Choice in a World of Scarcity we drew it

with an outward-bending shape. This shape illustrated that as we transferred inputs from producing one good to

another—like from education to health services—there were increasing opportunity costs. In the examples in this
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