Understanding the effect of madman leaders on economic sanctions

Meilin Li

International Interactions, 2025, vol. 51, issue 2, 321-344

Abstract: How does concern with reputation affect a leader’s decision on whether to comply with an economic sanction demand? There is limited scholarship unpacking the leader’s responses to sanctions. In this study, I examine how a reputation for madness affects leaders’ responses toward imposed sanctions. I argue that it is problematic and ineffective to use economic sanctions against so-called madman leaders, because they are less likely to comply with sanction demands and are more prone to maintain their reputation for madness. I evaluate my theory by examining all US, UN, or EU sanction cases from 1989 to 2012, using coarsened exact matching. The results demonstrate that madman leaders are less likely to back down when facing imposed sanctions. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how the reputations of leaders affect sanction outcomes.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/03050629.2025.2473355

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