Summary
The author concludes that government economists must look beyond national borders in order for their nations’ economies to prosper. This is based on the fact that economies are always open systems — in other words, things outside a nation’s borders can significantly affect an economy.
Missing Connection
The premise establishes that things beyond a nation’s borders can significantly affect a nation’s economy. But this doesn’t establish what government economists must look at in order for their nations’ economies to prosper. Why couldn’t the economists simply focus on things internal to the nation? Sure, there are external factors that influence the economy, but do we have to pay attention to them? Maybe internal factors alone are enough to allow a nation’s economy to prosper.
A
A national economy cannot prosper unless every significant influence on it has been examined by that nation’s government economists.
The premise establishes that there’s at least one significant influence on an economy that’s beyond a nation’s borders — international trade. According to (A), then, in order for a nation’s economy to prosper, government economists must examine international trade. This proves that in order for a nation’s economy to prosper, government economists must examine at least one thing beyond their nation’s borders.
B
Economics is weakly analogous to the physical sciences.
(B) doesn’t establish what government economists need to examine in order for an economy to prosper. The fact economics is somewhat analagous to physical sciences does not lead to anything specific about what government economists need to do.
C
Economic theories relying on idealizations are generally less accurate than economic theories that do not rely on idealizations.
(C) doesn’t establish what government economists need to examine in order for an economy to prosper. Learning what kind of economic theory is more or less accurate doesn’t support anything specific about what government economists need to do.
D
International trade is the primary significant variable influencing prices and wages.
We already know from the premises that international trade significantly influences prices and wages. Learning that it’s the most significant factor in prices and wages doesn’t establish what government economists need to examine in order for an economy to prosper. Do they need to examine things that are the primary variables influencing prices and wages? We don’t know.
E
Some government economists have been ignoring the effects of international trade on prices and wages.
We’re trying to prove that government economists need to do something. What some of them currently do doesn’t establish what they need to do.
Edward: Governments do have that right, insofar as they give people the freedom to leave and hence not to live under their authority.
Speaker 1 Summary
Raphaela argues that governments do not have any right to redistribute resources through taxation. She supports this by appealing to a principle that forcing people to help others is morally wrong. (We can infer that redistribution via taxation would be a form of forcing people to help others.)
Speaker 2 Summary
Edward doesn’t make an argument—he states a claim, but doesn’t support it at all. What Edward claims is that governments do have the right to redistribute resources via taxation as long as they allow the people they govern to leave.
Objective
We’re looking for a statement that Raphaela and Edward disagree about. Their disagreement is over whether governments ever have a right to redistribute resources via taxation. Raphaela thinks they never do, and Edward thinks they do under certain conditions.
A
Any government that does not permit emigration would be morally wrong to redistribute resources via taxation.
Raphaela agrees with this, because she believes that it is always morally wrong for a government to redistribute resources via taxation. Edward, however, never mentions morality. We don’t know what he thinks.
B
Any government that permits emigration has the right to redistribute resources via taxation.
Raphaela disagrees with this: she thinks governments never have the right to redistribute resources via taxation. On the other hand, Edward agrees, because emigration allows people to leave, thus meeting his condition for when a government has this right.
C
Every government should allow people to help others voluntarily.
Neither speaker discusses whether governments should allow people to help others voluntarily. Raphaela mentions helping voluntarily as an alternative to being forced to help, but she doesn’t mention the role of government. Edward doesn’t mention helping voluntarily at all.
D
Any government that redistributes resources via taxation forces people to help others.
This is implied in Raphaela’s argument, but Edward never mentions the idea of forcing people to help others. Only one speaker offers an opinion, so we can’t know if they disagree or not.
E
Any government that forces people to help others should permit emigration.
Neither speaker makes this claim. Raphaela discusses forcing people to help others but never mentions emigration. Edward does the opposite, talking about emigration but not discussing the idea of forcing people to help others.