By participating in international trade, each national economy is able to use its resources most efficiently to concentrate on those activities it is best suited to conduct and to reap significant economies of scale. In consequence, trade raises real income in each country.
Modern economists measure the gains from trade in much the same way as the Classical economists, but they pay more attention to the role of government.
From Table 1.1 (below), one can notice the significant progress achieved by newly industrialising countries in East Asia, in both GDP and exports.