Final answer:
Economists conditionally support tariffs and quotas when they aim to address human rights and environmental concerns. These trade barriers can serve as tools to encourage better practices globally and protect national interests in special circumstances. Understanding demand and supply in international trade is crucial to comprehending these economic tools.
Step-by-step explanation:
Among economists, there is some conditional support for the use of tariffs and quotas when they are implemented for reasons that go beyond mere economic protectionism. These reasons may include the enforcement of human rights standards and the prevention of environmental degradation. For instance, concerns arise when multinational firms move production to countries with lax environmental laws, harming the global environment to benefit from lower production costs. Similarly, reliance on imports for essential goods, like oil, can be seen as a national security issue. These nuanced scenarios, where trade restrictions can arguably serve a greater good, garner more support from economists than blanket protectionism, which is typically viewed as detrimental to global economic efficiency and welfare.
In the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO), nations come together to negotiate the reduction of trade barriers, with the understanding that the benefits of international trade are substantial and widespread. However, when imports threaten to undermine important domestic policies on human rights or the environment, some economists support the imposition of trade barriers as a means of leveraging economic pressure to encourage better practices abroad. It's important to learn key concepts and understand the demand and supply model in international trade to fully grasp the implications of tariffs and quotas.