To illustrate interrelationships among different segments of the general environment:

The persistence of large U.S. trade deficits (_) has led to greater demand for protectionist measures, such as trade barriers and quotas ().

These measures lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers and fuel inflation (____).

Choose the correct option:

1) macroeconomic, sociocultural, political/legal
2) macroeconomic, political/legal, macroeconomic
3) macroeconomic, technological, macroeconomic
4) macroeconomic, global, macroeconomic

The persistence of large U.S. trade deficits (macroeconomic) leads to a demand for protectionist measures (political/legal), which result in higher consumer prices and inflation (macroeconomic). The correct sequence is 2) macroeconomic, political/legal, macroeconomic.

Explanation:

To illustrate interrelationships among different segments of the general environment: The persistence of large U.S. trade deficits (macroeconomic) has led to greater demand for protectionist measures, such as trade barriers and quotas (political/legal). These measures lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers and fuel inflation (macroeconomic). Therefore, the correct option is 2) macroeconomic, political/legal, macroeconomic.

Trade deficits in the macroeconomic segment indicate a situation where a country's imports exceed its exports, affecting the balance of trade negatively. This often leads to political/legal responses, most notably in the form of protectionist measures aimed at shielding domestic industries from foreign competition.

However, such measures tend to have a rebound effect on the economy by increasing the prices for imported goods, which contributes to inflation, another macroeconomic concern.