Economic Sanctions and International Security

Author(s):  
David M. Rowe

Economic sanctions are a versatile instrument of statecraft used by states to try to influence the behavior of foreign actors by threatening or restricting customary cross-border trade or financial flows to an intended target. Examples of economic sanctions are retaliatory tariffs imposed in trade disputes and the complete cessation of economic flows aimed at undermining a certain regime. The importance of economic sanctions to policy makers has spawned a substantial amount of scholarly work dominated by two questions: whether sanctions “work” and whether states should use them. The long-running scholarly debate about whether sanctions work is essentially a dispute over how to classify cases. However, comparing cases of success and failure is problematic, in part because the very notion of what constitutes the successful use of sanctions is not clear and policy makers rarely seek to influence a single target or pursue a single policy goal when using sanctions. One of the most promising developments in the literature has been the increasing use of game theory to analyze sanctions, but this approach does not adequately determine the appropriateness of sanctions as a policy instrument. Sanctions research should focus instead on the basic strategic dynamics of the sanctions episode in order to identify those factors that contribute most strongly to the effective use of sanctions and to enable policy makers to understand more about the consequences of using sanctions as an instrument of statecraft.

Author(s):  
Yunming Shao ◽  
Lei Shi

This paper is a case study of FORGE, the first UK-China cross border accelerator program, conducted in the context of TusPark Newcastle, an overseas innovation center by TUS Holdings in the United Kingdom. It engages with current research that examines the role of trust, particularly in the area of cross-border trade. We suggest that this is especially pertinent for early stage technology companies, since in many cases, their products, business models and even founder reputations, are more unformed. We also look at the topic of cross-border incubation, particularly with China as the target market, and provide new insights for understanding the channels and barriers for international commercialization in China for early stage tech startups. Finally, we provide some suggestions for policy-makers on both sides to better coordinate efforts to increase innovation relationships like FORGE.


Author(s):  
Alvin Boye Dolo*

This study access the Investigation into the Involvement of Liberia Women in cross Border Trade at the Guinea Border with Liberia; 2014-2016.” The significance of the include: The research findings are of value to the various industries in the region that will have available information on the functions of the cross border trade. Government and policy makers. The study was carried out through a descriptive survey design. The target group for the purposes of this study was importers and exporters at border point. The study focused on female traders on the Liberia side of the border. The total population of the study is 500 registered female traders with a sample size of 70 respondents. The study used both primary and secondary data was used in this research. The study shows that 25 respondents representing 42% and all comprising of females in the study were between 30 – 39 years and another 16 respondents representing 26% and all comprising of female in the study were between 20– 29 years. The study shows that 30 respondents representing 50% in the study agreed that Liberia Females are involved in Traders at the border between Guinea and Liberia, 20 respondents representing 33% and all comprising of females in the study agreed that the involvement of Liberia Female Traders at the Liberian and Guinean has an impact on the development of trade at the Liberian and Guinean border. Base on the findings the researcher concludes that: The regional Governments have made considerable efforts in reducing the incentives to trade informally, by diminishing the costs of formal importing/ exporting; enhancing compliance levels with existing regulations; and improving trading opportunities and services for traders in the formal sector. The study recommends that: 1) Formulation of the Customs Management Act, the Customs Management Regulations outlining standard forms and fees payable across the region. 2) Simplifying and reducing documentation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
RUDOLF ADLUNG ◽  
PETER MORRISON ◽  
MARTIN ROY ◽  
WEIWEI ZHANG

AbstractThe entry into force of the General Agreement on Trade in Services in 1995 marked a new stage in the history of the multilateral system. Given the peculiarities of services trade, the Agreement contains a variety of conceptual innovations, including its extension to transactions (modes of supply), beyond conventional cross-border trade, and various types of non-tariff restrictions. In turn, the new concepts needed time to be absorbed by the ministries and agencies involved, many of which might have been surprised by ‘their’ sectors being covered by a trade agreement and the ensuing government-internal coordination needs. Thus, understandably, the schedules that emerged from the Uruguay Round, which still account for the majority of current commitments, contain a variety of ill-specified entries. Such entries undermine the transparency and predictability of market conditions, thereby affecting trade and investment decisions in services. Poorly specified commitments also give rise to trade disputes. While the scheduling conventions agreed for the Doha Round provided for technical refinements that would leave the substance of commitments unchanged, this possibility was used far more sparingly than could have been expected. Moreover, additional flaws would have been introduced if some of the (preliminary) offers had entered into effect. The following discussion tries to explain the scope for refinements and develop a clearer picture of the commitments warranting correction – whether in the form of a final Doha Round outcome or through negotiation-independent action by WTO Members.


Policy Papers ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  

Since the IMFC last met, the global economic recovery has gathered strength and financial conditions have kept improving; but members continue to face multiple and diverse challenges—slow growth, high unemployment, and fiscal and financial vulnerabilities in many advanced economies; and rapid credit growth and overheating pressures in some emerging markets. Rising food and energy prices have returned, further constraining policies. Meanwhile, global imbalances show no sign of abating, and volatility in cross border financial flows and exchange rates remains high. The outlook has been further challenged recently by unpredictable shocks: the tragic events in Japan and developments across the Middle East and North Africa. The latter also contain an important lesson for policy makers, namely that the quality of growth—especially its ability to combat unacceptably high unemployment and inequality—is critical to the sustainability of growth.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Peberdy ◽  
Jonathan Crush ◽  
Daniel Tevera ◽  
Eugene Campbell ◽  
Ines Raimundo ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Suhrcke ◽  
M Pinna Pintor ◽  
C Hamelmann

Abstract Background Economic sanctions, understood as measures taken by one state or a group of states to coerce another into a desired conduct (eg by restricting trade and financial flows) do not primarily seek to adversely affect the health or health system of the target country's population. Yet, there may be indirect or unintended health and health system consequences that ought to be borne in mind when assessing the full set of effects of sanctions. We take stock of the evidence to date in terms of whether - and if so, how - economic sanctions impact health and health systems in LMICs. Methods We undertook a structured literature review (using MEDLINE and Google Scholar), covering the peer-reviewed and grey literature published from 1970-2019, with a specific focus on quantitative assessments. Results Most studies (23/27) that met our inclusion criteria focus on the relationship between sanctions and health outcomes, ranging from infant or child mortality as the most frequent case over viral hepatitis to diabetes and HIV, among others. Fewer studies (9/27) examined health system related indicators, either as a sole focus or jointly with health outcomes. A minority of studies explicitly addressed some of the methodological challenges, incl. control for relevant confounders and the endogeneity of sanctions. Taking the results at face value, the evidence is almost unanimous in highlighting the adverse health and health system effects of economic sanctions. Conclusions Quantitatively assessing the impact of economic sanctions on health or health systems is a challenging task, not least as it is persistently difficult to disentangle the effect of sanctions from many other, potentially major factors at work that matter for health (as, for instance, war). In addition, in times of severe economic and political crisis (which often coincide with sanctions), the collection of accurate and comprehensive data that could allow appropriate measurement is typically not a priority. Key messages The existing evidence is almost unanimous in highlighting the adverse health and health system effects of economic sanctions. There is preciously little good quality evidence on the health (system) impact of economic sanctions.


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