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Comparative Advantage: China (Finally) Masters the BallPoint Pen

Geoff Riley

3rd February 2017

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This is a vivid illustration of the growth challenges facing China as it seeks to move away from "Assembled in China" to "Designed and Made by China."

China manufacturers nearly 40 billion ballpoint pens a year (the video is a brilliant clip on economies of scale) but it has taken them years to master the manufacturing of one absolutely key component part!

What Took China So Long to Master Ballpoint Pens?
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Geoff Riley

Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for nearly forty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD and Revision conferences in the UK and overseas.