How magical are Ricardo’s four magic numbers?

The analysis of Ricardo’s thought conducted by Carlo Casarosa from the 1970s onwards was an important part of a theoretical movement that challenged neo- Ricardian interpretations11, but not the importance of the analysis of international trade and what has always been considered its most important outcome, comparative cost theory. Subjected to much criticism, the theory still plays a central role in contemporary debate. In this context, the hypothesis of the effects of an improvement in the production of luxury goods depends on the social and economic context in which it occurs. The absence of an entrepreneurial class, as in the countries studied by the economists of the “dependency theory”, excludes any beneficial spill-over effects for the workers, as there is no accumulation for productive investment. An element that recalls the difficulties, both theoretical and practical, that development economics has always encountered