Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/215035 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 8033
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
We empirically analyze the effect of UN and US economic sanctions on life expectancy and its gender gap in target countries. Our sample covers 98 less developed and newly industrialized countries over the period 1977–2012. We employ a matching approach to account for the endogeneity of sanctions. Our results indicate that an average episode of UN sanctions reduces life expectancy by about 1.2–1.4 years. The corresponding decrease of 0.4–0.5 years under US sanctions is significantly smaller. In addition, we find evidence that women are affected more severely by the imposition of sanctions. Sanctions not being "gender-blind" indicates that they disproportionately affect (the life expectancy of) the more vulnerable members of society. We also detect effect heterogeneity, as the reduction in life expectancy accumulates over time and countries with a better political environment are less severely affected by economic sanctions. Finally, we provide some evidence that an increase in child mortality and Cholera deaths as well as a decrease in public spending on health care are transmission channels through which UN sanctions adversely affect life expectancy in the targeted countries.
Subjects: 
gender gap
human development
life expectancy
sanctions
United Nations
United States
JEL: 
F51
F53
I15
J16
K33
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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