利用關税、補貼、進口配額或其他對進口商品的限制來對國內工業進行保護、避免同國外競爭的政策。主要的保護性政策是，政府徵收關税，提高進口物品價格，使進口物品較之國內較低廉的產品不再具有消費吸引力。進口配額是限制進口商品的數量，這也是保護政策之一。歷史上的戰爭和經濟蕭條往往導致保護主義政策的增加，而和平和經濟繁榮則更加鼓勵自由貿易。保護主義政策在17～18世紀重商主義下的歐洲很常見。英國在19世紀放棄了很多保護性政策，在第一次世界大戰之前，整個西方世界的關税都很低。經濟和政治上的混亂導致歐洲在1920年代關税壁壘的提升，而大蕭條時期的保護政策更是急劇增加，造成了世界貿易的劇烈緊縮。美國有較長的保護性政策歷史，其關税在1820年代和大蕭條時期達到頂峯，但在1947年成為簽定「關税暨貿易總協定」（GATT）的國家之一，關税因此降低。雖然有GATT這樣的協定，但是當許多國家的工業受到國外競爭的強烈衝擊時，採用保護主義的呼聲仍然會響起。亦請參閲trade agreement、World Trade Organization。
protectionism
Policy of protecting domestic industries against foreign competition by means of tariffs, subsidies, import quotas, or other handicaps placed on imports. The chief protectionist measures, government-levied tariffs, raise the price of imported articles, making them less attractive to consumers than cheaper domestic products. Import quotas, which limit the quantities of goods that can be imported, are another protectionist device. Wars and economic depressions historically have resulted in increases in protectionism, while peace and prosperity have tended to encourage free trade. Protectionist policies were common in Europe in the 17th-18th century under mercantilism. Britain abandoned many of its protectionist laws in the 19th century, and by World War I tariffs were low throughout the Western world. Economic and political dislocation led to rising customs barriers in Europe in the 1920s, and the Great Depression spawned an epidemic of protectionist measures; world trade shrank drastically as a result. The U.S. had a long history of protectionism, with tariffs reaching high points in the 1820s and the Great Depression, but in 1947 it became one of 23 nations to sign the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which substantially reduced customs tariffs. Despite trade agreements such as GATT, calls for protectionism are still heard in many countries when industries suffer severely from foreign competition. See also trade agreement, World Trade Organization.
