According to the authors of this article, the answer is 'yes'!
In 'Publication bias of economic sanction research: A Meta-analysis of the impact of trade-linkage, duration and prior relations on sanction success', ISS alumi Alemayehu S. Reta, Gabriela Benalcazar Jativa and Patrick B. Kimararungu collected and coded 37 articles on the success and failure of economic sanctions. In so doing they uncover a significant publication bias.
They show that certain types of statistical results have a higher probability to be reported than other results. It includes – often unconsciously – selection of research findings that satisfy prior beliefs, theoretical expectations or statistical significance.
Research Handbook on Economic Sanctions
Their findings are presented in the Research Handbook of Economic Sanctions edited by Peter van Bergeijk. The publication brings together leading experts to analyze state-of-the-art data covering the sharp increase in (smart) sanctions in the last decade. Original chapters provide detailed analyses on the determinants of sanction success and failure, complemented with research on the impact of sanctions.
