Re:As Economy Grows, North Korea's Grip on Society Weakens
by bpodgursky on Sunday April 30, 2017 @08:53PM
(#14234797)
I think it's a stretch to assume that this translates directly.
The Chinese government competently used a combination of crony capitalism and state-run-enterprises to sustain steady economic growth. It's well understood that government policies encouraged and supported the free-ish market.
In North Korea, the markets which have sprung up have happened despite the government. If it is increasingly seen as incompetent, that's clear distinction with the situation in China, which was run by fairly ruthless technocrats (since the 90s).
It's also quite a stretch to think that the farmer's markets in North Korea could possibly transition into the huge industrial giants which have powered China's economy.
I think most of the west would be more-or-less OK with a Chinese-style regime in North Korea -- a competent, responsible, undemocratic politburo more interested in economic growth than pointless military threats (China does not weekly threaten to nuke San Francisco, with 80s-era animated illustrations).
The Chinese government competently used a combination of crony capitalism and state-run-enterprises to sustain steady economic growth. It's well understood that government policies encouraged and supported the free-ish market.
In North Korea, the markets which have sprung up have happened despite the government. If it is increasingly seen as incompetent, that's clear distinction with the situation in China, which was run by fairly ruthless technocrats (since the 90s).
It's also quite a stretch to think that the farmer's markets in North Korea could possibly transition into the huge industrial giants which have powered China's economy.
I think most of the west would be more-or-less OK with a Chinese-style regime in North Korea -- a competent, responsible, undemocratic politburo more interested in economic growth than pointless military threats (China does not weekly threaten to nuke San Francisco, with 80s-era animated illustrations).