Economic sanctions and political stability and violence in target countries
Abstract
What effects do economic sanctions have on the political stability of targeted countries? The purpose of this chapter is to offer an overview of the literature on the degree to which sanctions increase political violence, state repression, and leadership stability in target (sanctioned) countries. There is substantial evidence in the literature that foreign economic pressure induces targeted governments to commit more repression to eliminate any potential threats to their regimes and to restore political order and stability. Existing research shows that sanctions are likely to trigger more anti-government protests and violence. Studies also find evidence that sanctions are likely to threaten the survival of democratically elected leaders while having no discernable effect on the stability of autocracies, except personalist dictatorships. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of possible avenues of research to further advance the cumulative knowledge on how sanctions affect political stability in target countries.
Publication Title
Research Handbook on Economic Sanctions
Recommended Citation
Peksen, D. (2021). Economic sanctions and political stability and violence in target countries. Research Handbook on Economic Sanctions, 187-201. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781839102721.00016
