Will Economic Sanctions End Apartheid in South Africa? What Simple Analytical Models Can Tell Us

The problem of affirmative action against discrimination acquires special dimensions in the case of South Africa. The obvious policy measures will not necessarily be applied in a situation where the decision makers may not have any interest in putting an end to the apartheid system. The situation resembles the one analyzed by Assar Lindbeck: ¹ the polity is an endogenous entity, in the sense that it reacts to incentives provided by the environment, and if race discrimination is to come to an end, the South African polity must be provided with some type of triggering cue that makes it want to abolish apartheid.