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Applying Burgstaller's Ricardian two-sector growth model to the two-country open economy, this paper shows that the long-run Heckscher–Ohlin theorem holds also in a Ricardian world. In addition it is shown that, if two Ricardian countries that are different only in their demand parameters open trade, comparative advantage and the corresponding trade pattern at trade opening continue in the long run after the opening of trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper formally integrates Ricardo's two-sector growth model with his theory of comparative advantage. Differences with conventional representations of Ricardian trade theory, as well as with Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson theory, are noted. It is shown that the Ricardian equilibrium terms of trade are fully determinate, as against the standard Millian view. Also, trade may, depending on direction of specialization, inhibit rather than promote growth and lead to a net contraction of the world economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an empirical test on comparative cost theories. The tests are undertaken for three pairs of countries: Japan and the U.S., Peru and the U.S. and the Great Britain and the U.S. Although the choice of countries is determined by the availability of the relevant data, the coverage is interesting since the countries involved are at different levels of economic development, have different relative factor prices and due to differences in their geographical location, are likely to have different endowments of particular natural resources. The main finding of the tests discussed in this paper is that comparative costs can be explained in terms of the combined influence of the causal factors stressed in the Ricardian and Heckscher-Ohlin theories, even though neither theory gives satisfactory results when considered independently of the other.