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North Korea as a Military Dictatorship

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  • Wintrobe Ronald

    (Department of Economics, Western University, 1151 Richmond St, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, Canada)

Abstract

In this paper I apply the model of dictatorship, developed in my 1998 book, The Political Economy of Dictatorship, and elsewhere, to understand the workings of the North Korean regime. I argue that initially, under Kim Il Sung it was a Soviet-style regime but the shocks of the 1990s – the fall of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe, the capitalist turn of China, the economic takeoff of South Korea and the succession crisis caused by Kim Il Sung’s death threatened the stability of that regime. Kim Jong Il shored up the regime by marrying it to the military. However, military rule is typically unstable. Kim Jong Il resolved this paradox essentially by militarizing the entire society. This is the distinctive feature of the regime. I analyze the stability of that regime, and ask whether engagement or isolation is the best way for the rest of the world to deal with North Korea.

Suggested Citation

  • Wintrobe Ronald, 2013. "North Korea as a Military Dictatorship," Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 19(3), pages 459-471, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:pepspp:v:19:y:2013:i:3:p:459-471:n:6
    DOI: 10.1515/peps-2013-0036
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wintrobe,Ronald, 2012. "Rational Extremism," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107407220, January.
    2. Ronald Wintrobe, 2001. "How to understand, and deal with dictatorship: an economist's view," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 35-58, March.
    3. Wintrobe,Ronald, 2000. "The Political Economy of Dictatorship," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521794497.
    4. Haggard, Stephan & Noland, Marcus, 2009. "Famine in North Korea Redux?," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 384-395, September.
    5. Marcus Noland, 2000. "Avoiding the Apocalypse: The Future of the Two Koreas," Peterson Institute Press: All Books, Peterson Institute for International Economics, number 94, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Schwuchow, Soeren, 2018. "Extractive Institutions, Choking Taxes, and War: On the (Beneficial) Impact of Inequality in Autocracies," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181530, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. Kollias Christos & Papadamou Stephanos & Psarianos Iacovos, 2014. "Rogue State Behavior and Markets: the Financial Fallout of North Korean Nuclear Tests," Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 20(2), pages 1-26, April.
    3. Vakhtang Putkaradze, 2023. "The Dictator Dilemma: The Distortion of Information Flow in Autocratic Regimes and Its Consequences," Papers 2310.01666, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2024.
    4. repec:bpj:pepspp:v:19:y:2013:i:3:p:285-290:n:15 is not listed on IDEAS

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