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Open research questions in Economic Sanctions and International Relations

107 gap statements mined from Economic Sanctions and International Relations papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 1,260 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • Future research could examine the long-term effects of the information treatments. Future research could investigate the effects of different types of information on public support for sanctions. Future research could explore the impact of sanctions on different segments of the population. Future research could compare the effects of information treatments in different countries.

    Enhancing public support for international sanctions: An information provision experiment · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to understand how external forces can affect popular opinion on democracy. The study identifies a gap in the literature on the effects of democratic sanctions on public opinion in targeted countries.

    Echoes of hostility: Democratic sanctions and public backlash against democracy in targeted states · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of application of such a measurement to oil and conflict. The need for evidence on the relationship between oil discoveries and interstate conflicts.

    Claimability in International Relations: Oil Discoveries, Territorial Claims, and Interstate Conflicts · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to account for external pressures and bargaining over terms in the exit process. The challenge of distinguishing between meaningful exit and corporate reshuffling among the same owners.

    Exiting Russia · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of how foreign-invested firms respond to exceptional shocks to political risk. The need to conceptualize exit as a politicized transaction, considering external pressures and bargaining over terms.

    Exiting Russia · 2026 · DOI

  • There is limited understanding of how modern trade policies affect contemporary warfare. Most existing literature focuses on earlier conflicts and traditional trade mechanisms.

    Impact of International Trade Policies on the Iraq–America War (2026) · 2026 · DOI

  • The research highlights the need for integrated services and policies to address psychosocial tensions.

    Psychosocial Tensions in Tehran؛Policy Brief (2024) · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should employ mixed methods to better assess both direct and indirect effects of sanctions. Further fieldwork and confidential EU deliberations would provide greater nuance.

    FOREIGN POLICY, SANCTIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS: ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EU MEASURES AGAINST RUSSIA AND BELARUS. A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF EU NORMATIVE POWER IN THE WAKE OF AUTHORITARIAN REPRESSION · 2026 · DOI

  • The effectiveness of EU sanctions as a tool of normative power is a subject of debate. There is a need for a more nuanced understanding of the impact of sanctions on authoritarian regimes.

    FOREIGN POLICY, SANCTIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS: ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EU MEASURES AGAINST RUSSIA AND BELARUS. A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF EU NORMATIVE POWER IN THE WAKE OF AUTHORITARIAN REPRESSION · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research should examine the effects of sanctions on individual households and account for potential non-linear effects. Studies should examine the effects of sanctions on consumer welfare in other countries and contexts. Research should investigate the effectiveness of regionally targeted safety nets and support for agricultural areas in mitigating the effects of sanctions.

    Sanctions from a Political Economy Perspective: State Capacity, Regional Inequalities, and Consumer Welfare in Russia (2011-2024) · 2026 · DOI

  • The effects of sanctions on consumer welfare in large, resource-rich states are not well understood. There is a lack of studies examining the regional variations in consumer welfare effects. The literature on the effects of sanctions on consumer welfare is limited to small, import-dependent economies.

    Sanctions from a Political Economy Perspective: State Capacity, Regional Inequalities, and Consumer Welfare in Russia (2011-2024) · 2026 · DOI

  • The country needs to develop a proactive foreign policy in response to external threats. The study highlights the importance of understanding the global hybrid war and its implications for Kazakhstan's foreign policy.

    KAZAKHSTAN’S MULTI-VECTOR GEOPOLITICS IN THE CONTEXT OF A GLOBAL HYBRID WAR · 2026 · DOI

  • The authors highlight the need for a systematic analysis of Kazakhstan's multi-vector foreign policy in the context of a global hybrid war.

    KAZAKHSTAN’S MULTI-VECTOR GEOPOLITICS IN THE CONTEXT OF A GLOBAL HYBRID WAR · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper notes that informal channels might not provide the same type of direct influence as formal institutionalized cooperation. The study identifies the challenge of sustaining cooperation between the exiting country and remaining member states after a voluntary withdrawal. The paper notes that the effectiveness of informality is predicated on issue characteristics and political circumstances.

    Cooperation after exit: how informality is sustaining EU–UK cooperation on sanction negotiations · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a limited understanding of how voluntary withdrawals from international organizations affect future cooperation between the exiting state and remaining members. The paper identifies a gap in the literature on the effects of voluntary withdrawals on cooperation between the exiting country and remaining member states.

    Cooperation after exit: how informality is sustaining EU–UK cooperation on sanction negotiations · 2026 · DOI

  • It is well known that sanctions impose a cost on their targets as well as on the senders, as lamented by European governments, but the costs of EU sanctions on its members have not been fully explored.

    The Redistributive Impact of Restrictive Measures on EU Members: Winners and Losers from Imposing Sanctions on Russia · 2017 · DOI

  • How well the Islamic Republic will come out of this unscathed remains to be seen as the US-led sanctions increase economic and political pressure upon both the current ruling elites and the opposition.

    Who rules Iran? The June 2009 election and political turmoil · 2011 · DOI

  • It also highlights the importance of studying how communication about these costs might be improved to maintain or increase public support for sanctions.

    Enhancing public support for international sanctions: An information provision experiment · 2026 · DOI

  • How do economic sanctions affect the political attitudes of individuals working in targeted industries within sanctioned countries? More specifically, do economic sanctions diminish or bolster their political support for incumbent governments? Despite the significance of these questions for understanding the effectiveness of sanctions, existing evidence remains inconclusive.

    Political backlash of economic sanctions: evidence from Beijing’s restriction on cross-strait tourism · 2026 · DOI

  • Do economic sanctions turn the public against the target government or cause it to rally around the flag? How do sanctions affect attitudes toward the sanctioner? How does bad economic performance under sanctions shape support for the target government? Despite their importance, these questions have rarely been explored with survey data.

    Economic Sanctions and Public Opinion: Survey Experiments From Russia · 2018 · DOI

  • In contrast, mandatory UN sanctions against South Africa were limited to an arms embargo, but significant boycotts were imposed by nongovernmental organizations as well as intergovernmental bodies and individual governments, contributing to South Africa's isolation and financial difficulties.

    Reflections on the Sanctions Decade and beyond · 2009 · DOI

  • Further analysis of the relationship between fuel discoveries and interstate conflicts, - Examination of other factors that may influence the relationship between fuel discoveries and interstate…

    Claimability in International Relations: Oil Discoveries, Territorial Claims, and Interstate Conflicts · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies challenges in understanding the dynamics of U.S.-Iran relations during the period - The study highlights the complexity of the relationship and the need to consider multiple factors - The paper notes the limitations of relying on declassified diplomatic…

    QUEST FOR STATUS IN THE COLD WAR: THE TRANSFORMATION OF SHAH-ERA IRAN–U.S. RELATIONS REFLECTED IN U.S. DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS (1969–1979) · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in our understanding of the dynamics of U.S.-Iran relations during the late 1960s and 1970s - The study highlights the need for further research on the Shah's quest for status and its impact…

    QUEST FOR STATUS IN THE COLD WAR: THE TRANSFORMATION OF SHAH-ERA IRAN–U.S. RELATIONS REFLECTED IN U.S. DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS (1969–1979) · 2026 · DOI

  • Employing a comparative analysis of public international law and European Union (EU) law, it highlights an underexplored dimension of sanctions regimes: the individual effects of asset freezes on family members, rather than on the sanctioned individuals themselves.

    Beyond the Target of Sanctions: Mapping the Human Rights Cascade in Counter-Terrorism Asset-Freezing Regimes · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Economic Sanctions and International Relations

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) Future research could examine the long-term effects of the information treatments (“Enhancing public support for international sanctions: An information provision…”, 2026); (2) There is a need to understand how external forces can affect popular opinion on democracy (“Echoes of hostility: Democratic sanctions and public backlash against democracy…”, 2026); (3) The lack of application of such a measurement to oil and conflict (“Claimability in International Relations: Oil Discoveries, Territorial Claims,…”, 2026); (4) The lack of understanding of how foreign-invested firms respond to exceptional shocks to political risk (“Exiting Russia”, 2026); (5) There is limited understanding of how modern trade policies affect contemporary warfare (“Impact of International Trade Policies on the Iraq–America War (2026)”, 2026). 107 gap statements have been mined from Economic Sanctions and International Relations papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 1,260 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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