Famine in North Korea

Markets, Aid, and Reform

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Asia, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, International Relations
Cover of the book Famine in North Korea by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland ISBN: 9780231511520
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: February 27, 2007
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
ISBN: 9780231511520
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: February 27, 2007
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

In the mid-1990s, as many as one million North Koreans died in one of the worst famines of the twentieth century. The socialist food distribution system collapsed primarily because of a misguided push for self-reliance, but was compounded by the regime's failure to formulate a quick response-including the blocking of desperately needed humanitarian relief.

As households, enterprises, local party organs, and military units tried to cope with the economic collapse, a grassroots process of marketization took root. However, rather than embracing these changes, the North Korean regime opted for tentative economic reforms with ambiguous benefits and a self-destructive foreign policy. As a result, a chronic food shortage continues to plague North Korea today.

In their carefully researched book, Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland present the most comprehensive and penetrating account of the famine to date, examining not only the origins and aftermath of the crisis but also the regime's response to outside aid and the effect of its current policies on the country's economic future. Their study begins by considering the root causes of the famine, weighing the effects of the decline in the availability of food against its poor distribution. Then it takes a close look at the aid effort, addressing the difficulty of monitoring assistance within the country, and concludes with an analysis of current economic reforms and strategies of engagement.

North Korea's famine exemplified the depredations that can arise from tyrannical rule and the dilemmas such regimes pose for the humanitarian community, as well as the obstacles inherent in achieving economic and political reform. To reveal the state's culpability in this tragic event is a vital project of historical recovery, one that is especially critical in light of our current engagement with the "North Korean question."

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the mid-1990s, as many as one million North Koreans died in one of the worst famines of the twentieth century. The socialist food distribution system collapsed primarily because of a misguided push for self-reliance, but was compounded by the regime's failure to formulate a quick response-including the blocking of desperately needed humanitarian relief.

As households, enterprises, local party organs, and military units tried to cope with the economic collapse, a grassroots process of marketization took root. However, rather than embracing these changes, the North Korean regime opted for tentative economic reforms with ambiguous benefits and a self-destructive foreign policy. As a result, a chronic food shortage continues to plague North Korea today.

In their carefully researched book, Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland present the most comprehensive and penetrating account of the famine to date, examining not only the origins and aftermath of the crisis but also the regime's response to outside aid and the effect of its current policies on the country's economic future. Their study begins by considering the root causes of the famine, weighing the effects of the decline in the availability of food against its poor distribution. Then it takes a close look at the aid effort, addressing the difficulty of monitoring assistance within the country, and concludes with an analysis of current economic reforms and strategies of engagement.

North Korea's famine exemplified the depredations that can arise from tyrannical rule and the dilemmas such regimes pose for the humanitarian community, as well as the obstacles inherent in achieving economic and political reform. To reveal the state's culpability in this tragic event is a vital project of historical recovery, one that is especially critical in light of our current engagement with the "North Korean question."

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Beyond the Secular West by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book Religion and Ecology by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book Transitional Subjects by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book Friendship Reconsidered by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book The Cinema of Steven Spielberg by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book The Cinema of István Szabó by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book Slow Food by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book American Immanence by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book Not Ours Alone by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book Self and Emotional Life by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book Disaster Deferred by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book The Columbia Guide to Central African Literature in English Since 1945 by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book Social Work Science by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book The Power of Tolerance by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
Cover of the book The Islamic Context of The Thousand and One Nights by Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy