EXPORTS LINE: A graphical depiction of the relation between exports sold to the foreign sector and the economy's aggregate level of income or production. This relation is most important for deriving the net exports line, which plays a minor, but growing role in the study of Keynesian economics. An exports line is horizontal which indicates that exports are totally autonomous, with no induced component. The aggregate expenditures line used in Keynesian economics is derived by adding or stacking the net exports line, derived as the difference between the exports line and imports line, onto the consumption line, after adding investment expenditures and government purchases.The exports line shows the relation between exports of domestic production purchased by the foreign sector and aggregate income or production. The income and production measures most commonly used are national income and gross domestic product. The purpose of the exports line is to graphically illustrate the exports-income relation for the foreign sector, which is then used to derive the net exports line by vertically subtracting the imports line, after which it is then integrated into the aggregate expenditures line used in Keynesian economics. Net exports are the difference between exports and imports, or exports minus imports. Exports are purchases of domestic production by the foreign sector and imports are purchases of foreign production by the domestic economy. While imports are induced by the level of domestic income and production, exports are totally autonomous. Reflecting this, the exports line is horizontal, with a zero slope. There are no induced exports. The vertical intercept, or Y-intercept, of the exports line reflects autonomous exports.
Identifying numbers for these two parameters for this particular line indicates that the intercept is $1 trillion, meaning autonomous exports is $1, and the slope is 0, meaning a $1 increase in domestic income or production induces a $0 decrease in exports. A zero slope means exports are autonomous and equal to $1 trillion for every level of domestic income and production. Check Out These Related Terms... | induced net exports | autonomous net exports | induced imports | autonomous exports | marginal propensity to import | slope, net exports line | intercept, net exports line | consumption line | saving line | investment line | government purchases line | Or For A Little Background... | net exports | exports | imports | net exports of goods and services | Keynesian economics | macroeconomics | foreign sector | national income | gross domestic product | And For Further Study... | induced expenditures | autonomous expenditures | aggregate expenditures | aggregate expenditures line | derivation, consumption line | net exports determinants | Keynesian model | Keynesian equilibrium | injections-leakages model | aggregate demand | paradox of thrift | fiscal policy | multiplier | government functions | Recommended Citation: EXPORTS LINE, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2025. [Accessed: December 16, 2025]. |
