North Korea's financial system is based upon a mono-banking system, centered on the Central Bank of the DPRK. The Central Bank of the DPRK serves diverse functions - aside from financial activities, it also acts simultaneously as a central bank and a commercial bank. From the experiences of...

This study compares the initial conditions of North Korea with East European countries by using the principal components analysis. Based on statistics from December 2007, the initial conditions of North Korean economy are better than countries like Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Moldova, and Ukraine...

This study aims to predict the possible changes in the North Korean economic system by examining 27 countries that have experienced economic transition since 1990. This study divides the 27 transition countries into three groups (i.e., outstanding, fine, and poor transition) through discriminant...

This paper argues that Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, faces a dilemma between maintaining his dictatorship and enabling economic growth amid pervasive marketization. Although he puts more emphasis on economic development than his father did, he is unlikely to launch Chinese-style reform...

Using data from transition economies, this paper examines linkages between political constraints and economic reforms. Estimation results suggest that progress in reform is positively associated with public support for reforms, which is affected by income inequality and expected individual...

Using a novel data set from post-communist countries in the 1990s, this paper examines linkages between political constraints, economic reforms and growth. A dynamic panel analysis suggests public support for reform is negatively associated with income inequality and unemployment. Both the ex...