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Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Post-Conflict Planning And Reconstruction: Lessons From The American Experience In Korea, Marcus Noland
Post-Conflict Planning And Reconstruction: Lessons From The American Experience In Korea, Marcus Noland
Marcus Noland
The American experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq have motivated a re-examination of earlier experiences with post-conflict planning and reconstruction. This paper reviews the US experience in Korea following the Second World War and the Korean War; addresses the political economy of establishing institutions of governance in post-conflict situations; considers the issue of “portability”: the extent to which the South Korean experience may reflect unique and irreproducible conditions; and then applies these ideas by comparing the South Korean experience to the contemporary case of Afghanistan. Some conclusions and policy recommendations are contained in the final section.
Political Attitudes Under Repression: Evidence From North Korean Refugees, Marcus Noland
Political Attitudes Under Repression: Evidence From North Korean Refugees, Marcus Noland
Marcus Noland
What do citizens of highly repressive regimes think about their governments? How do they respond to high levels of repression? This paper addresses these questions by examining the political attitudes of North Korean refugees. Unsurprisingly the evaluations of regime performance are negative, and there is some evidence that they are becoming more so, even among the core political class and government or party workers. While the sample marginally overrepresents groups with the most negative evaluation of the regime, multivariate analysis is used to generate projections of the views of the wider population; this exercise indicates that that the null hypothesis …
Economic Crime And Punishment In North Korea, Marcus Noland
Economic Crime And Punishment In North Korea, Marcus Noland
Marcus Noland
The penal system has played a central role in the North Korean government’s response to the country’s profound economic and social changes. As the informal market economy has expanded, so have the scope of economic crimes. Two refugee surveys—one conducted in China, one in South Korea—document that the regime disproportionately targets politically suspect groups, particularly those involved in market-oriented economic activities. Levels of violence and deprivation do not appear to differ substantially between the infamous political prison camps, penitentiaries for felons, and labor camps used to incarcerate individuals for a growing number of economic crimes. Such a system may also …
The Winter Of Their Discontent: Pyongyang Attacks The Market, Marcus Noland
The Winter Of Their Discontent: Pyongyang Attacks The Market, Marcus Noland
Marcus Noland
This paper examines North Korea’s recent confiscatory currency conversion and the subsequent prohibition on the use of foreign currency. The regime has made no attempt to veil its motivations: strengthening the socialist economy by directly attacking the market and the independence from state control that it represents. These policies, coming at an inopportune time when the country is facing economic stagnation, spiraling prices, and a resurgence of food shortages will surely reduce economic welfare. The open question is whether they have sown such discord that these moves will ultimately destabilize the country politically as well.