How do you account for the widespread use of tariffs and import quotas internationally but the virtual absence of such trade barriers among the 50 states?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Domestic and international political considerations are usually the primary reason for the presence or absence of tariffs between areas of the globe. The framers of the constitution in the United States viewed the states as having a common identity and purpose. People do not always feel a similar common bond between themselves and people in other nations. Tariffs arise for all the reasons that national boundaries exist: settlement of wars, different cultures, varied languages, and different political and economic philosophies. With common culture and language, it is more difficult to arouse nationalistic fears that seem to play a large part in explaining trade barriers between nations.
There is also no accurate measurement of bilateral or multilateral trade among the states. Perhaps if we knew that, for example, New York had a huge trade deficit with California, we might be more inclined to enact trade barriers! On the other hand, developments such as the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement indicate that the economic benefits of free trade can overpower the political factors which give rise to trade barriers.