<p>Economic sanctions  typically a ban on trade, possibly limited to certain sectors such as armaments, or with certain exceptions (such as food and medicine)Targeted Sanctions. These tools may include various forms of trade barriers, tariffs, and restrictions on financial transactions.</p>

<p>While the goals of sanctions are to force a country to alter its behavior, there is much variation as to how the sanctions are leveled and to whom they target. Sanctions can target a country as a whole, as in the case of an embargo on a country’s exports (e.g. U.S. sanctions on Cuba). They can also target specific industries, such as an embargo on the sale of weapons of petroleum. Another example is since 1979, the United States and European Union have prohibited the import or export of goods and services to Iran.</p>

<p>According to some sources:</p>

<p>The success of sanctions varies in accordance with how many parties are involved. Bilateral sanctions are more effective than unilateral sanctions, but the success rate, in general, is fairly low. In many circumstances, the sanctions caused economic harm without changing the target country's policies. Sanctions are ultimately blunt tools of foreign policy, because their deployment is rarely precise enough to affect only the target economy, and because they presuppose that economic harm will lead to the sort of political pressure that will benefit the instigating country. </p>

<p><a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/10/economic-sanctions.asp" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/10/economic-sanctions.asp</a></p>

<p>Also, try :</p>

<p>Why Economic Sanctions Do Not Work
Author(s): Robert A. Pape 
<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2539263?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.jstor.org/stable/2539263?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents</a></p>

<p>Conversely</p>

<p>13 times that economic sanctions really worked.  By Adam Taylor April 28, 2014.  Washington Post
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/04/28/13-times-that-economic-sanctions-really-worked/?utm_term=.2891e591faad" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/04/28/13-times-that-economic-sanctions-really-worked/?utm_term=.2891e591faad</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-12T21:36:07.783Z
2019-02-12T21:36:07.783Z
Mike J
<p>When countries commit "economic crimes" — i.e., theft of intellectual property, dumping, currency manipulation — are sanctions effective at making them stop?</p>

<p>I am specifically looking for examples of failure or success, or studies that have been done as to their effectiveness.</p>

<reference-request><international-trade><international-economics><sanctions>
Do sanctions work?
lware
# Do sanctions work?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-02-12)

When countries commit "economic crimes" — i.e., theft of intellectual property, dumping, currency manipulation — are sanctions effective at making them stop?

I am specifically looking for examples of failure or success, or studies that have been done as to their effectiveness.

**Tags:** reference-request, international-trade, international-economics, sanctions

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-02-12. Score: 1

Economic sanctions typically a ban on trade, possibly limited to certain sectors such as armaments, or with certain exceptions (such as food and medicine)Targeted Sanctions. These tools may include various forms of trade barriers, tariffs, and restrictions on financial transactions.

While the goals of sanctions are to force a country to alter its behavior, there is much variation as to how the sanctions are leveled and to whom they target. Sanctions can target a country as a whole, as in the case of an embargo on a country’s exports (e.g. U.S. sanctions on Cuba). They can also target specific industries, such as an embargo on the sale of weapons of petroleum. Another example is since 1979, the United States and European Union have prohibited the import or export of goods and services to Iran.

According to some sources:

The success of sanctions varies in accordance with how many parties are involved. Bilateral sanctions are more effective than unilateral sanctions, but the success rate, in general, is fairly low. In many circumstances, the sanctions caused economic harm without changing the target country's policies. Sanctions are ultimately blunt tools of foreign policy, because their deployment is rarely precise enough to affect only the target economy, and because they presuppose that economic harm will lead to the sort of political pressure that will benefit the instigating country.

<https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/10/economic-sanctions.asp>

Also, try :

Why Economic Sanctions Do Not Work
Author(s): Robert A. Pape
<https://www.jstor.org/stable/2539263?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents>

Conversely

13 times that economic sanctions really worked. By Adam Taylor April 28, 2014. Washington Post
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/04/28/13-times-that-economic-sanctions-really-worked/?utm_term=.2891e591faad>


---

