How Turkey Became Bald Man Mecca: Comparative Advantage

If you’ve ever visited Istanbul, you know it’s swarming with bald men. How, exactly, did Turkey become Bald Man Mecca? We answered that question: comparative advantage.

And what is comparative advantage, you ask? And why has it led to Turkey’s revolutionary hair transplants? We put those questions to Adam Smith and David Ricardo, but they were unavailable. We also asked George Costanza from Seinfeld, but he just wanted to complain about his baldness.

Do you want to take a shot at answering yourself? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

We asked Nazlican Kanmaz, our excellent Strategic Research Director, who’s from Izmir, Turkey. Her answer, naturally, leans on the art of making baklava.

As she explains, though, comparative advantage isn’t just some term from the glossary of an economics textbook: it’s the reason that even poor countries can generate wealth. It’s also an ironclad argument in favor of open borders and free trade. As Frederic Bastiat once reportedly said, “When goods don’t cross borders, soldiers will.”

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Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
0:43 – Nazlican Kanmaz Describes Absolute Advantage
1:43 – David Ricardo and Comparative Advantage
2:23 – Comparative Advantage Described w/Baklava!
3:11 – “How Does Baldness Fit into That?”
3:34 – Turkey’s Revolutionary Hair Transplant Procedure
4:35 – Turkey Role as Bridge Between East and West
5:46 – How Comparative Advantage Applies to Borders and Trade Policies