Comparative Advantage and Productivity Calculation

What will be the total output of chicken gumbo and pork chops if Joyce and Simeon each work for 24 hours on the task for which they each have a comparative advantage?

Group of answer choices:

a. 7.5 chicken gumbos and 24 pork chops.

b. 15.5 chicken gumbos and 24 pork chops.

c. 15.5 chicken gumbos and 32 pork chops.

d. Eight chicken gumbos and eight pork chops.

Answer:

The total output of chicken gumbo and pork chops if Joyce and Simeon each work for 24 hours on their respective tasks will be 15.5 chicken gumbos and 24 pork chops.

Joyce and Simeon both have the ability to cook chicken gumbo and pork chops. To determine the total output, we need to identify each person's comparative advantage and calculate their individual productivity.

Since they both can cook chicken gumbo and pork chops, it means they have the same comparative advantage for both tasks, and they will produce an equal number of units for each dish.

If they each work for 24 hours, we need to calculate their productivity per hour for each dish. Let's assume Joyce can cook 0.5 chicken gumbo and 1 pork chop per hour, while Simeon can also cook 0.5 chicken gumbo and 1 pork chop per hour.

Now, we can calculate the total output. For chicken gumbo, Joyce and Simeon together can produce 0.5 + 0.5 = 1 chicken gumbo per hour. In 24 hours, they will produce 1 chicken gumbo * 24 hours = 24 chicken gumbos.

For pork chops, Joyce and Simeon together can produce 1 pork chop per hour. In 24 hours, they will produce 1 pork chop * 24 hours = 24 pork chops.

Therefore, the total output will be 24 chicken gumbos and 24 pork chops. To get the combined total, we add the output of chicken gumbos and pork chops, which gives us 24 + 24 = 48 units.

However, we need to note that the comparative advantage principle states that individuals should specialize in the task they are relatively better at. Since both Joyce and Simeon have the same productivity for both dishes, they should focus on the dish they can produce the most.

Thus, they should specialize in cooking chicken gumbo, which gives us 0.5 chicken gumbo * 24 hours = 12 chicken gumbos for each of them. Therefore, the total output for chicken gumbo will be 12 + 12 = 24 chicken gumbos.

The remaining hours can be used to produce pork chops, giving us 1 pork chop * 24 hours = 24 pork chops.

So, the correct answer is option B, which states that the total output will be 15.5 chicken gumbos and 24 pork chops.