Econ30009 International Trade


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Econ30009 International Trade

Unit: ECON30009

Assessment’s contribution to unit: 100%
Release Date: 13/04/2026, 11am
Submission Date:
Feedback Released: 19/05/2026

Students are strongly advised to submit their work ahead of the deadline. Should you have a problem with submission to Blackboard you should email [email protected] for guidance immediately.

  • Your answer should not exceed 2000 words. Exceeding this word-limit will incur a penalty. You should include an accurate word count on the front cover of the assignment. Details relating to penalties are at the end of this document.
  • Assignments handed in after the deadline, without a pre-arranged extension, will be subject to late penalties. Details relating to penalties are at the end of this document.
  • A reference list/bibliography is recommended. This list does not contribute to the word count. Information on referencing can be found via our library.
  • Please use Arial or Calibri font at 12-point.
  • Your assignment should be combined into a single document and submitted in pdf format with a document name containing your student number.
  • You may include photographs or scans of your own hand-drawn, labelled diagrams or calculations. We would advise you to generate your own diagrams but if you include diagrams or pictures that you have not produced yourself, or are modified versions of existing images, you should ensure you reference them appropriately. Figures and tables should normally be included inline in the text.
  • Your answer will be assessed using the University Marking Criteria.

This is a piece of COURSEWORK that contributes to your Unit mark and you can:

  • Use resources to support you in completing your answer.
  • Draw upon a range of accepted resources including, your own notes, lecture slides/recordings, course material, textbooks, journal articles, online resources. ALL work should be written in your own words.
  • Ask for help from your personal tutors or academic lecturers if you do not understand an aspect of the coursework.
  • Broad discussion with your tutors, fellow students, friends and family on the assessment topic and your ideas/approach may help you to further your knowledge and understanding.
  • Use your network of family and friends to gain support and encouragement during the assessment period.

Please remember this is a formal assessment and you should behave in a manner consistent with our values. This means you cannot:

  • Allow others to directly contribute to your written answer by revising or adding to the academic content. This is collusion and is against University Regulations.
  • Share your assessment with others or ask others to share their work with you.
  • Copy and paste any material (text, images, coding, calculations) from other sources, including teaching material and shared revision notes directly into your answer without appropriate acknowledgement. This is plagiarism and is against University Regulations.
  • Pay another person or company to complete the assessment for you. This is contract cheating and is against University Regulations.
Below is an essay question related to real-world issues in globalization and international trade. The essay should address all parts of the question and should: (i) apply at least one international trade theory, including relevant figures and equations; (ii) engage with academic literature; and (iii) incorporate real-world examples and/or data. The essay must not exceed 2,000 words (excluding diagrams, tables, equations, titles/subtitles, and the bibliography).

International trade theory generally predicts that trade liberalization increases overall welfare. And over recent decades, many countries have pursued policies aimed at reducing trade barriers and promoting openness.

However, in the last few years, this trend has slowed or reversed, with a growing use of trade-restrictive measures. A recent example can be found in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. In 2024, the European Union increased tariffs on imported Chinese electric vehicles from the previous 10% to rates ranging between approximately 17.8% and 45.3%, while the United States raised tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to 100%.

How does international trade theory explain the recent rise in trade barriers in the EV industry? According to international trade theory, what are the economic consequences of higher trade barriers in the EV market? How do these policies affect overall economic welfare and the distribution of gains and losses across different groups in the economy? In light of these effects, to what extent can the use of trade barriers in the EV market be economically justified?

Penalties for late work

Assignments handed in after the deadline, without a pre-arranged extension will be subject to the following penalty:

  • the late submission period is four days (i.e. 4 x 24-hour periods) from the submission deadline
  • the late submission of work will incur a fixed absolute penalty of 10 marks for each 24-hour period after the agreed submission deadline, not including public holidays in England or University closure days.
  • if the work is not submitted by the end of the late submission period, the assessment will be considered to be a non-submission.
Penalties for work over the maximum word count

You are expected to include a word-count on the first page of the assignment. Footnotes should be avoided.

  • Direct quotations will count towards the word-count
  • Reference lists/bibliographies will not count within the word-count
  • Coversheets will not count within the word counts
  • Tables and figures (i.e. diagrams) will not count within the word counts.

If you are found to have put an inaccurate word-count on your submission, a penalty of 5 marks may be imposed, over and above the penalties below:

Assessment exceeds word limit by up to (percentage of maximum)
 Penalty deducted from intellectual mark
5%
 5 marks
10%
 10 marks
15%
 15 marks
20%
 20 marks
25%
 30 marks
More than 25%
 Mark of zero applied

For example, for a 2,000-word assignment, if a student handed in a piece of work consisting of 2,050 words, your mark would be reduced by 5 marks. This is because the piece of work is between 0% and 5% over the maximum limit.

Academic Integrity

Academic misconduct includes plagiarism, collusion, contract cheating, including the use of artificial intelligence such as chatbots, and ethical breaches in research tasks.

The University's Academic Misconduct Procedure document states that “The University of Bristol expects ,students to uphold high standards of academic integrity, including in assessment. Where academic misconduct is suspected, a case is investigated with a set of penalties and training opportunities provided where identified..” (Section 1.1).

The The Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes (section 23) give information on the University's procedures for dealing with cases of academic integrity in undergraduate programmes.

More information about plagiarism, and how to avoid it is available from the Library website.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in coursework

You are not allowed to use GenAI to complete any part of your assessment except for what is explicitly allowed below. The restriction includes original drafting but also text that results from prompts like “Improve the writing in this paragraph.” Your assignment should never contain passages, sentences or phrases that are taken word-for-word from artificial intelligence output.

You must also not write any part of your assignment in another language and use automated tools or a translator to translate it into English. We expect our students to be able to communicate in written as well as spoken English.

The level of GenAI usage that is allowed for this assessment is Selective use. For this assessment, you may use GenAI in the following ways only:

1. Spelling and grammar checkers: you can use spelling and grammar checkers in this assignment although they should be used to correct rather than conduct substantial re-writes.

2. Initial Research: you can use AI as a mechanism for researching and exploring relevant literature and sources. ,However, you should then read suggested sources rather than cite directly from the AI and the responsibility for accuracy remains with you.

You are advised never to take output from artificial intelligence tools at face value. Always fact-check any information it provides and cite reputable sources, such as peer-reviewed publications, in your coursework.

And be aware that the economic reasoning in artificial intelligence output is often poor and would in many cases receive a low mark if submitted as coursework, even if re-written in your own words.

Referencing

If you reference papers in your answers, you should reference them using a consistent referencing system, such as the Harvard referencing system; you should normally cite sources in the text. As a general rule, you should avoid using footnotes to reference.

  • If you include a quote, it should be in quotation marks, and a page number included in the in-text reference.
  • Whilst you should normally avoid larger quotes, if you include them, you should also indent the text.

If you cite a paper in your essay, you should also include a full reference to the paper in the reference list at the end of the paper.

  • Do not list papers in your reference list that you have not referenced in the paper.

If you are using GenAI in your coursework, you must also reference it both in the text and the reference list. 

University marking criteria

Level 6 (Third-year undergraduate level)

Marks
0-19
0, 7, 15
20-39
22, 29, 35
40-49
42, 45, 48
50-59
52, 55, 58
60-69
62, 65, 68
70-79
72, 75, 78
80-100
83, 94, 100
Knowledge and understanding
Content knowledge ,BSP 1a, 1b, 2a, 9a
Major gaps in knowledge and understanding of material at this level. Substantial inaccuracies.


Gaps in knowledge, with only superficial understanding. Some significant inaccuracies.


Sufficient understanding to deal with key aspects of field or discipline, at least some of which is informed by the forefront of the field of study. Some awareness of more specialised content



Sound and broad understanding of field(s) of study some of which is informed by the forefront of the field of study. Some awareness of the relevance/ applicability and /or limitations of knowledge.



Systematic and coherent understanding of the field(s) of study. ,Good awareness of research literature.

Excellent knowledge and understanding of the main concepts and key theories/ concepts of the discipline(s) embedded in the research literature.


Highly detailed knowledge and understanding of the main theories and/or concepts of the discipline(s) embedded in the research literature.
Critical approach BSP 2b, 2c




No evidence of a critical approach to the knowledge base.



No evidence of a critical approach to the knowledge base.



Little evidence of a critical approach to the knowledge base.



Limited evidence of a critical approach to the knowledge base.


Clear evidence of a critical awareness of the limitations of the knowledge base.



Excellent critical awareness of the limitations of the knowledge base.



Exceptional critical awareness of the ambiguities and limitations of knowledge.



Intellectual skills Use of evidence and sources BSP 2a, 2b, 2c, 9a

Not demonstrating an ability to select or use appropriate sources.



Over-reliance on set sources. They have not demonstrated an adequate ability to select and evaluate reading and research.



Some ability to select, evaluate and comment on reading, research and primary sources.



Consistently select, evaluate and comment on reading, research and primary sources, sometimes beyond the set range.



Thorough selection, evaluation and comment on reading, research and primary sources, usually beyond the set range.



Comprehensive selection, evaluation and comment on reading, research and primary sources, beyond the set range.


Exceptional ability to select, consider, evaluate, comment on and synthesise a broad range of research, primary sources, views and information and integrate references with a high level of detail.


Logical argument and evaluation of perspectives BSP 1b, 2c, 3b



Lacking in coherent argument. Not acknowledging alternative perspectives.



Arguments are poorly constructed, and they are not able to critically evaluate the arguments of others or consider alternative views.



Some ability todevise and sustain an argument, with  some consideration of alternative views.



Logical argument, with supporting evidence, and consideration and evaluation of a range of views and information.



The ability to make coherent, substantiated arguments, as well as the ability to consider, critically evaluate and synthesise a range of views and information.


An excellent ability to make coherent, substantiated arguments, as well as the ability to consider, critically evaluate and synthesise a range of views and information.


Consistent, logical, coherently developed, and substantiated arguments, and an exceptional ability to systematically consider, critically evaluate and synthesise a wide range of views and information.


Explanation and interpretation BSP 1a, 1b, 3c

Substantial inconsistencies in line of reasoning.
The student's explanations are weak and/or poorly constructed.
 Some ability to explain some complex matters and ideas.
 Clear and consistent explanation of complex matters and ideas.
 A thorough interpretation of complex matters and ideas.
 A thorough, perceptive and thoughtful interpretation of complex matters and ideas.
 Sophisticated perception, critical insight and interpretation of complex matters and ideas.

Problem-solving BSP 3a, 3b, 3c, 9a



Does not show ability to identify key aspects of complex problems or to use appropriate resources to address them.



Little evidence of an ability to isolate the key elements of complex problems and deploy appropriate resources to address them.



Limited ability to identify the key aspects of complex problems and use appropriate resources to address them.



Shows ability to identify key aspects of complex problems and draws on appropriate resources for addressing them.



Shows ability to identify key aspects of complex problems and is effective in using appropriate resources for addressing them.



Well-developed problem-solving skills showing ability to identify key aspects of complex problems. Is effective and shows initiative and autonomy in using appropriate resources for addressing them.


Confident in identifying key aspects of complex problems and applying appropriateapproaches to their solution, showing initiative, autonomy and creativity.


Scholarly, Research and Disciplinary Practices
Specialist skills and techniques BSP 1a, 2a, 3c
 No evidence of the development or application of the discipline’s specific or specialist skills.
 Has not demonstrated sufficient evidence of the development or application of discipline-specific specialist skills.
 Demonstratesevidence of developing and applying discipline-specific specialist skills.
 Consistent demonstration of the developmentand informed application of discipline-specific specialist skills.
 Consistent demonstration of capable and effective application of the discipline’s specialist skills and evidence ofdeveloping and applying its advanced techniques.
 Consistent demonstration of accomplished and innovative application of thediscipline’s specialist skills as well as the informed application of its advanced techniques.
 Consistent demonstration of accomplished and exceptionally innovative application of the discipline’s specialist skills and the capable and effective application of its advanced techniques.
Research BSP 2a, 3a, 3c
 No evidence of being able to undertake straightforward research tasks without extensive guidance.
 Limited evidence of being able to undertake straightforwardresearch tasks  without substantial guidance.
 Can competently undertake reasonably straightforward research tasks withminimum guidance, but with minor weaknesses.
 Can competently undertake reasonably straightforward research tasks with minimum guidance.
 Can successfully complete a range of research tasks, including evaluation, withvery limited guidance.
 Can very successfully complete a range of research tasks,including evaluation, with a significant degree of autonomy.
 Exceptionally successful in a wide range of research tasks, including evaluation, with a high degree of autonomy.
Academic skills BSP 1a, 2a, 4b
 Academic conventions largely ignored.
 Academic conventions used inconsistently.
 Academic conventions evident and largely consistent, with minor lapses.
 Academic skills consistently applied.
 Good academic skills consistently applied.
 High-level academic skills consistently applied.
 High-level academic skills consistently and professionally applied.
Professional and life skills
Teamwork BSP 5a, 5b, 5c, 6a
 Little or no demonstration of ability to work within a teamsetting.
 Shows limited ability to work within a team setting.
 Shows ability to work with others and contribute productively as a member of a team.
 Contributes well within a team complementing and respecting the contributions of others. Shows some ability to lead and organise teamwork.
 Works effectively within a team, showing some ability to lead, recognising the value and contributions of others. Able to manage conflict.
 Consistently demonstrates effective teamworking and leadership skills and able to ensure teams work effectively to meet their obligations and goals. Is able to manage conflict.
 Shows outstanding ability to work and lead a team with creativity and flexibility that is responsive to group members’ interests and the obligations and goals of the team. Is able to manage conflict.
Insight BSP 7b, 8a, 8b
 Shows very limited awareness of own strengths and weaknesses.
 Displays limited awareness of own strengths or weaknesses.
 Shows some ability to identify own strengths and weaknesses.Some evidence of capacity to plan self-development to improve practical and professional skills.
 Shows ability to reflect on own strengths and weaknesses and able to identify steps for self-development to improve practical and professional skills.
 Confident in self-reflection and expressing own strengths and weaknesses and able to take a proactive approach to self-development to improve practical and professional skills .
 Demonstrates ability to work autonomously and assess own strengths and weaknesses.Demonstrates ability to identify and implement an effective programme of self-development to improve practical and professional skills.
Shows confidence in working autonomouslyand setting own goals.Can assess own strengths and weaknesses. Is able to identify and implement an effective programmeof self-development to improve practical and professional skills. Can provide effective feedback to others to aid their self-development.



Decision-making BSP 8a, 9c
 No evidence shown of ability to make decisions in complex and unpredictable circumstances.
 Little evidence shown of ability to make decisions in complex and unpredictable circumstances. 
 Shows limited ability to make decisions in complex and unpredictable circumstances.
 Shows ability to make decisions in complex and unpredictable circumstances.
 Confident in adapting to changing and unfamiliar or challenging circumstances and making evidence-based decisions.
 Confident in adapting to changing and unfamiliar/challenging circumstances and making effective,evidence-based decisions.
 Shows confidence and creativity in adapting to changing and unfamiliar/challenging circumstances.
Communication BSP 5b, 9a
 Shows very limited awareness of the ways communication needs to be adapted for different audiences.
 Shows limited awareness of the ways communication needs to be adapted for different audiences.
 Shows some awareness of ways that communication needs to be adapted for different audiences.
 Is able to communicate appropriately to a range of audiences and shows some ability to deploy different media as appropriate.
 Can communicate effectively to a range of audiences, using a wide range of media as appropriate.
 Can communicate effectively to a range of audiences, using a wide range of media as appropriate.
 Can communicate effectively to a range of audiences in an engaging and professional manner, using a wide range of media as appropriate.
Self- management BSP 4a
 Shows very limited evidence of self- organisational skills and behaviours and  ability to meetdeadlines.
 Shows limited evidence of self- organisationalskills and behaviours and ability to meet deadlines.
 Shows some evidence of self- organisational skills and behaviours. Is able to completemost tasks by deadlines.
 Shows self- organisational skills and behaviours. Has a professional attitude to completing most tasks.
 Demonstrates good self-organisational  skills andbehaviours. Has a professional attitude to completing tasks.
 Works autonomously demonstrating very good self-organisational skills and behaviours. Has a professional attitude to completing tasks.
 Works autonomously demonstrating outstanding self- organisational skills and behaviours. Has a professional attitude to completing all tasks.

Note: Because the marking criteria consider several dimensions, it is unlikely that a single piece of work fits nicely into all the descriptions above. For example, a piece of work may have excellent presentation, but due to significant errors, and major deficiencies, the piece of work may still be awarded the lower grade.

2026-03-30