Problems of System Transformation: Lessons from the Past

As I have argued in Wolchik and Curry (2015), ten problems of system transformation have hindered a smoother and more stable transition of former post-communist countries to democracy (see also Schmitter 2010): The first problem of system transformation implied the assumption that the transition from communism to democracy would have automatically led to more social …

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Geo-Spatial Analysis North Korea

by Alfio Cerami                                                   REV: 17/03/2018 This story map assesses the growth in prosperity shining (or "True GDP") in North Korea (DPRK) from 2012 to 2016. STORY MAP: Geo-Spatial Analysis North Korea …

Ageing Population and the Politics of Mortality in North Korea

by Alfio Cerami  REV. 05/12/2017 This blog post discusses ageing and the politics of mortality in North Korea. It emphasizes the importance of historical legacies, the presence of important veto points (e.g. military and party nomenklatura), the role of the industrial-military complex, as well as country-specific patterns of political authoritarianism in shaping the survival of …

North Korea’s Communist Social Structure

by Alfio Cerami Rev. 05/12/2017 The standard view on communist social stratification describes state-socialism as the most successful attempt to create a classless society. Did things really go in this way? Did state-socialism achieve its main objective to create a non-antagonist society, gradually withering differences away? This was, in reality, a myth as communist systems …

Choice Architecture, Bounded Rationality and Bounded Willpower in North Korea

By Alfio Cerami Rev. 11/12/2017 In Choice Architecture, 2017 Nobel Prize Winner Richard H. Thaler and his colleagues Cass R. Sunstein, John P. Balz (2014) define the NUDGES approach. It comprises of six main principles for making good policy choices: iNcentives, Understand mappings, Defaults, Give feedback, Expect error, and Structure complex choices. iNcentives refers to …

North Korea: The Exclusive and Inclusive Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy

By Alfio Cerami Rev. 05/12/2017 Introduction Broadly understood, East Asia comprises Hong Kong, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Malaysia, the People’s Republic of China, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. This is a highly problematic and diversified region in which different political, historical and cultural legacies contribute to the establishment of highly differentiated political economies …