Economic sanctions are claimed to be imposed on the targeted countries to ensure human rights. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of economic sanctions on human rights to justify the human rights situation in the sanctioned nations. It has used data from 40 different countries during 1976-2019 and applied the Ordinal Logit Regression Model to analyse the data. The paper found that economic sanctions exacerbated the human rights condition in the targeted nations whereas burgeoning GDP and democratic situation leads to progress the human rights situations. These results are consistent and robust to Ordinal Probit Regression Model and support alternate hypothesis. The findings argue against the popular beliefs of the sanctioning countries and organizations that economic sanctions improve human rights in the imposed countries. So, policymakers and international leaders should rethink and reconsider their decisions before imposing economic sanctions on any country. The imposition and use of economic sanctions create a lot of misery for the general public which further threatens the human rights protection in the targeted countries.

The main objective of this study is to identify the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade openness (TO) on income inequality in 25 Asian economies using panel data from 1991 to 2018. The effects of FDI and trade openness on income inequality in the Asian region has been examined by using the Kuznets curve hypothesis on the growth–inequality relationship and employing a random effects model, generalized least squares, and system GMM estimations. This study found that the effect of FDI and trade openness on inequality is positive as they enhance income inequality in the Asian region. It also found that the growth–inequality relationship is non-linear with an inverted U-shape, which indicates that growth increases inequality in Asian economies to a certain level; after that, an additional increase in per capita GDP decreases the income inequality. This study exposed that FDI and trade openness have increased inequalities in the Asian region, making it difficult to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10 within the stipulated timeframe. Asian economies should therefore review investment- and trade-related policies to reap the benefits and to ensure equitable income distribution.

The main purpose of this article is to investigate the impact of economic growth, foreign direct investment (FDI), and trade openness (TO), and the Asian and global financial crisis on environmental quality based on the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis on panel data of 32 Asian economies over the 1991–2019 period. Our study supports the EKC hypothesis, implying that economic growth increases emissions to a certain point, after which growth helps reduce carbon emissions. By employing several panel data econometric estimation techniques (such as ordinary least squares, fixed effects models, and difference-generalized method of moments estimations), the study also shows robust findings that FDI could reduce carbon emissions in the Asian region by welcoming environmentally friendly technology and know-how into the economy. However, though the study finds that financial crises reduce emissions in Asian countries, the increase of TO in this region leads to an increase in emissions and causes of environmental degradation. Thus, to ensure environmental sustainability, Asian policymakers should formulate lucrative policies to attract FDI, and trade policies should also be revised.