Rüdiger Frank
Biographic Data
| ID | 3786897 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rüdiger Frank |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rüdiger |
| FAMILY NAME | Frank |
| SIGNATURE | FRANK R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Vienna |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7834-3802 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Current Affairs in North Korea, 2010-2017: A Collection of Research Notes
Starting with the public introduction of Kim Jong-un to the public in autumn of 2010 and ending with observations of consumerism in February 2017, this collection of 16 short research notes that were originally published at 38North discusses some of the most crucial issues, aside from the nuclear problem, that dominated the field of North Korean Studies in the past decade. Left in their original form, these short articles show the consistency of …
The 7th Party Congress in North Korea: An Analysis of Kim Jong Un's Report
The single most remarkable feature of the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was that it took place at all, after a hiatus of no less than 36 years.Ever since Kim Il Sung decided in the 1950s that his country needed its own way of doing things, which is often summarized under the term of chuch'e, it has been hard to categorize the DPRK as a typical socialist country. North Korea has always been different. It neither joined the mili…
Closing the Kaesŏng Industrial Zone: An Assessment
On February 10, 2016, the South Korean government announced that it would close the Kaesŏng Industrial Zone (KIZ) in response to the North Korean nuclear test of January 6th and the launch of a satellite on February 7th. The zone, sometimes simply called by the name of the adjacent city of Kaesŏng, had been the last tangible outcome of the historic first inter-Korean summit of June 2000, which later that year had earned one of its two participant…
Ian Jeffries, North Korea, 2009-2012: A Guide to Economic and Political Developments
North Korea's Autonomy 1965-2015
Korea 2013: Politics, Economy and Society
Korea 2013: Politics, Economy and Society contains concise overview articles covering domestic developments and the economy in both South and North Korea as well as inter-Korean relations and foreign relations of the two Koreas in 2012. Additional papers deal with topics such as the promotion of the South Korea-EU trade agreement, the globalisation debate in South Korean higher education, the ideational foundations of the South Korean Unification…
The Arirang Mass Games of North Korea
Having grown up in East Germany, from early on I have been familiar with all kinds of mass performances, including organized parades, meetings, or so-called mass games or mass gymnastics. All of them involved large numbers of people, often in the thousands or tens of thousands. The performances were characterized by a high level of synchronism and uniformity. They included music, artistic components, dancing and marching. They brimmed over with s…
From Monolithic Totalitarian to Collective Authoritarian Leadership? Performance-Based Legitimacy and Power Transfer in North Korea
Research Question and StructureThis article was written mostly before Kim Jong-il's death in December 2011. However, not only do our main points remain valid; the need for a long-term, systematic understanding of the political system of North Korea (formally the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK) and leadership succession has even grown amidst the current uncertainty. We thus discuss the background of the transfer of political power in …
North Korea's Dynastic Succession
Historians rightfully insist on learning from history. Indeed, history tends to repeat itself - just as mankind stubbornly tends to ignore that fact. Bruce Cumings' historical take on the succession issue in the DPRK is thus an important and welcome addition to the many different voices that have tried to make sense of what is happening and to provide a glimpse into the future. However, as an economist I know the risks of applying, implicitly or …
Why now is a good time for economic engagement of North Korea
Little more than a year ago, in December 2011, Kim Jong Un was announced as successor to his late father Kim Jong Il. Initial hopes for a change in North Korea's WMD policy faded away after two missile launches in April and December 2012, and the country's third nuclear test in February 2013. Shortly afterwards, wave after wave of threats has been issued by Pyongyang, including the use of nuclear weapons against the United States. Against this ba…
Power Restructuring in North Korea: Annointing Kim Jong Il's Successor
Finally," one is tempted to say. The years of speculation and half-baked news from dubious sources are over. The leadership issue in North Korea has been officially resolved. Or has it?The third delegate's meeting [1] of the Worker's Party of Korea (WPK) on September 28, 2010 answered a few questions. Still, it left a few unanswered and posed quite a few new ones as well. In the end, Kim Jong Il emerged the undisputed leader. But has his legitima…
Money in Socialist Economies: The Case of North Korea
Dated January 29, 2010, the Foreign Trade Bank of the DPRK (North Korea) issued document No. DC033 10-004 to diplomatic missions and international organizations present in North Korea. They were informed that the use of foreign currency was to be stopped, payments were to be made in the form of non-cash cheques, and that the official exchange rate of the Euro to the North Korean Won was changed from 188.2 KPW to 140 KPW, effective January 2, 2010
Korea Yearbook (2009): Politics, Economy and Society
The 2009 edition of the Korea yearbook contains concise overview articles covering domestic developments and the economy in both South and North Korea as well as inter-Korean relations and foreign relations of the two Koreas in 2008. A detailed chronology complements these articles.
Ideological Risk versus Economic Necessity: The Future of Reform in North Korea
After the launch of a three-stage rocket in April and the second nuclear test in May 2009 it seems less realistic than ever to think about opening and reform in North Korea. Inter-Korean relations are deteriorating almost daily. Hard-line orthodoxy has been returning to North Korea since late 2005 at an alarming pace as the country enters an era of socialist neoconservativism that emphasizes self-reliance and mass campaigns, cracks down on previo…
Lessons from the Past: The First Wave of Developmental Assistance to North Korea and the German Reconstruction of Hamhùng
North Korea is currently a receiver of substantial international economic support, but not for the first time in its history. This article seeks to shed some light on a largely unknown instance of multilateral aid and assistance to North Korea provided by the socialist camp in the 1950s. Based on research in archives and the analysis of trade data and contemporary media reports, the focus is mainly on the contribution of East Germany to the recon…
The Coming Crisis in Finance and Energy: Korea as a solution for East Asia
The Republic of Korea is a county like most others in that it has no or insufficient fossil fuel reserves of its own and depends on imports of oil, gas and coal for various vital purposes, including electric energy production, heating, and fuel for its transportation system. Like many other countries it now feels the pinch of high prices for oil and other raw materials, and like most others it is affected by the downturn in global stock markets a…
Has the Next Great Leader of North Korea Been Announced? [Japanese Translation Available]
Something big may be going on in North Korea. In early October, the official North Korean media may have started to reveal who will be the next leader of their country after the family dynasty ends. But they have not yet done so directly. Therefore, some contextualization is needed before arriving at still speculative conclusions
Pragmatism and North Korea Policy
Among the many false assumptions around North Korea is the claim that this country and its leadership are not predictable. The opposite is true; North Korea has one of the most predictable regimes on earth. Speculations about the future are an extension of the past. The bigger the knowledge base of past experiences is, the easier such an extrapolation becomes. As a byproduct of the totalitarian system, political leadership in North Korea exhibite…
Famine and the Market: North Korea Meets Keynes
We present two articles on the market response to North Korean famine.Pak Hyun-yong was, by North Korean standards, an entrepreneur. Too much of an entrepreneur. During the famine that ravaged the country in the late 1990s, Mr Pak watched his family die of starvation - first his younger brother, then his older sister's children. Then, eventually, his sister too.Somehow he pulled through this period, dubbed by the regime as "the arduous march", an…
Can Economic Theory Demystify North Korea
The starting point of this paper is the assumption that North Korea is de facto a well-defined nation-state, home to a national economy and inhabited by individuals that bear the same basic economic and social characteristics as individuals elsewhere. Despite the obvious specifics of the economic system and institutional structure of the country, standard economic theory should be applicable to the question of North Korean economic development. T…
The Political Economy of Sanctions Against North Korea
Japan Focus is pleased to reprint Ruediger Frank's important study of the historical uses of sanctions in international diplomacy and alternatives to sanctions in reviewing the case of North Korea in the wake of that nation's nuclear test
Economic Reforms in North Korea (1998–2004): Systemic Restrictions, Quantitative Analysis, Ideological Background
North Korea started serious economic reforms in July 2002. The regime's credo is the coexistence of a state-directed economy and a market economy. The weight of the latter will be increased gradually, depending on success and political stability. The paper explores the costs and benefits of the reforms and suggests their support. In the short run, the price reforms resulted in purchasing power gains for everybody, although these gains are now off…
International Aid for North Korea: Sustainable Effects or a Waste of Resources
The focus of international efforts in North Korea used to be on food aid. With the announcement of a policy change by the North Korean government this fall, sending home humanitarian NGO's and reinforcing the Public Distribution System for food, attention has shifted to developmental assistance. However, the basic question remains the same: Will international support improve the situation in North Korea, or will it just prop up the regime? It wil…
Einführung in die politischen Systeme Ostasiens: VR China, Hongkong, Japan, Nordkorea, Südkorea, Taiwan
Effects of the Black Death in England An Essay Review
Journal Article Effects of the Black Death in England An Essay Review Get access ROBERT G. FRANK, JR. ROBERT G. FRANK, JR. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Volume 54, Issue 4, October 1999, Pages 596–605, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhmas/54.4.596 Published: 01 October 1999
Economic Reforms in North Korea (1998–2004): Systemic Restrictions, Quantitative Analysis, Ideological Background
North Korea started serious economic reforms in July 2002. The regime's credo is the coexistence of a state-directed economy and a market economy. The weight of the latter will be increased gradually, depending on success and political stability. The paper explores the costs and benefits of the reforms and suggests their support. In the short run, the price reforms resulted in purchasing power gains for everybody, although these gains are now off…
Effects of the Black Death in England An Essay Review
Journal Article Effects of the Black Death in England An Essay Review Get access ROBERT G. FRANK, JR. ROBERT G. FRANK, JR. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Volume 54, Issue 4, October 1999, Pages 596–605, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhmas/54.4.596 Published: 01 October 1999
The 7th Party Congress in North Korea: An Analysis of Kim Jong Un's Report
The single most remarkable feature of the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was that it took place at all, after a hiatus of no less than 36 years.Ever since Kim Il Sung decided in the 1950s that his country needed its own way of doing things, which is often summarized under the term of chuch'e, it has been hard to categorize the DPRK as a typical socialist country. North Korea has always been different. It neither joined the mili…
Effects of the Black Death in England An Essay Review
Journal Article Effects of the Black Death in England An Essay Review Get access ROBERT G. FRANK, JR. ROBERT G. FRANK, JR. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Volume 54, Issue 4, October 1999, Pages 596–605, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhmas/54.4.596 Published: 01 October 1999
Einführung in die politischen Systeme Ostasiens: VR China, Hongkong, Japan, Nordkorea, Südkorea, Taiwan
Economic Reforms in North Korea (1998–2004): Systemic Restrictions, Quantitative Analysis, Ideological Background
North Korea started serious economic reforms in July 2002. The regime's credo is the coexistence of a state-directed economy and a market economy. The weight of the latter will be increased gradually, depending on success and political stability. The paper explores the costs and benefits of the reforms and suggests their support. In the short run, the price reforms resulted in purchasing power gains for everybody, although these gains are now off…
International Aid for North Korea: Sustainable Effects or a Waste of Resources
The focus of international efforts in North Korea used to be on food aid. With the announcement of a policy change by the North Korean government this fall, sending home humanitarian NGO's and reinforcing the Public Distribution System for food, attention has shifted to developmental assistance. However, the basic question remains the same: Will international support improve the situation in North Korea, or will it just prop up the regime? It wil…
The Political Economy of Sanctions Against North Korea
Japan Focus is pleased to reprint Ruediger Frank's important study of the historical uses of sanctions in international diplomacy and alternatives to sanctions in reviewing the case of North Korea in the wake of that nation's nuclear test
Famine and the Market: North Korea Meets Keynes
We present two articles on the market response to North Korean famine.Pak Hyun-yong was, by North Korean standards, an entrepreneur. Too much of an entrepreneur. During the famine that ravaged the country in the late 1990s, Mr Pak watched his family die of starvation - first his younger brother, then his older sister's children. Then, eventually, his sister too.Somehow he pulled through this period, dubbed by the regime as "the arduous march", an…
Can Economic Theory Demystify North Korea
The starting point of this paper is the assumption that North Korea is de facto a well-defined nation-state, home to a national economy and inhabited by individuals that bear the same basic economic and social characteristics as individuals elsewhere. Despite the obvious specifics of the economic system and institutional structure of the country, standard economic theory should be applicable to the question of North Korean economic development. T…
Lessons from the Past: The First Wave of Developmental Assistance to North Korea and the German Reconstruction of Hamhùng
North Korea is currently a receiver of substantial international economic support, but not for the first time in its history. This article seeks to shed some light on a largely unknown instance of multilateral aid and assistance to North Korea provided by the socialist camp in the 1950s. Based on research in archives and the analysis of trade data and contemporary media reports, the focus is mainly on the contribution of East Germany to the recon…
The Coming Crisis in Finance and Energy: Korea as a solution for East Asia
The Republic of Korea is a county like most others in that it has no or insufficient fossil fuel reserves of its own and depends on imports of oil, gas and coal for various vital purposes, including electric energy production, heating, and fuel for its transportation system. Like many other countries it now feels the pinch of high prices for oil and other raw materials, and like most others it is affected by the downturn in global stock markets a…
Has the Next Great Leader of North Korea Been Announced? [Japanese Translation Available]
Something big may be going on in North Korea. In early October, the official North Korean media may have started to reveal who will be the next leader of their country after the family dynasty ends. But they have not yet done so directly. Therefore, some contextualization is needed before arriving at still speculative conclusions
Pragmatism and North Korea Policy
Among the many false assumptions around North Korea is the claim that this country and its leadership are not predictable. The opposite is true; North Korea has one of the most predictable regimes on earth. Speculations about the future are an extension of the past. The bigger the knowledge base of past experiences is, the easier such an extrapolation becomes. As a byproduct of the totalitarian system, political leadership in North Korea exhibite…
Korea Yearbook (2009): Politics, Economy and Society
The 2009 edition of the Korea yearbook contains concise overview articles covering domestic developments and the economy in both South and North Korea as well as inter-Korean relations and foreign relations of the two Koreas in 2008. A detailed chronology complements these articles.
Ideological Risk versus Economic Necessity: The Future of Reform in North Korea
After the launch of a three-stage rocket in April and the second nuclear test in May 2009 it seems less realistic than ever to think about opening and reform in North Korea. Inter-Korean relations are deteriorating almost daily. Hard-line orthodoxy has been returning to North Korea since late 2005 at an alarming pace as the country enters an era of socialist neoconservativism that emphasizes self-reliance and mass campaigns, cracks down on previo…
Power Restructuring in North Korea: Annointing Kim Jong Il's Successor
Finally," one is tempted to say. The years of speculation and half-baked news from dubious sources are over. The leadership issue in North Korea has been officially resolved. Or has it?The third delegate's meeting [1] of the Worker's Party of Korea (WPK) on September 28, 2010 answered a few questions. Still, it left a few unanswered and posed quite a few new ones as well. In the end, Kim Jong Il emerged the undisputed leader. But has his legitima…
Money in Socialist Economies: The Case of North Korea
Dated January 29, 2010, the Foreign Trade Bank of the DPRK (North Korea) issued document No. DC033 10-004 to diplomatic missions and international organizations present in North Korea. They were informed that the use of foreign currency was to be stopped, payments were to be made in the form of non-cash cheques, and that the official exchange rate of the Euro to the North Korean Won was changed from 188.2 KPW to 140 KPW, effective January 2, 2010
From Monolithic Totalitarian to Collective Authoritarian Leadership? Performance-Based Legitimacy and Power Transfer in North Korea
Research Question and StructureThis article was written mostly before Kim Jong-il's death in December 2011. However, not only do our main points remain valid; the need for a long-term, systematic understanding of the political system of North Korea (formally the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK) and leadership succession has even grown amidst the current uncertainty. We thus discuss the background of the transfer of political power in …
North Korea's Dynastic Succession
Historians rightfully insist on learning from history. Indeed, history tends to repeat itself - just as mankind stubbornly tends to ignore that fact. Bruce Cumings' historical take on the succession issue in the DPRK is thus an important and welcome addition to the many different voices that have tried to make sense of what is happening and to provide a glimpse into the future. However, as an economist I know the risks of applying, implicitly or …
Why now is a good time for economic engagement of North Korea
Little more than a year ago, in December 2011, Kim Jong Un was announced as successor to his late father Kim Jong Il. Initial hopes for a change in North Korea's WMD policy faded away after two missile launches in April and December 2012, and the country's third nuclear test in February 2013. Shortly afterwards, wave after wave of threats has been issued by Pyongyang, including the use of nuclear weapons against the United States. Against this ba…
Korea 2013: Politics, Economy and Society
Korea 2013: Politics, Economy and Society contains concise overview articles covering domestic developments and the economy in both South and North Korea as well as inter-Korean relations and foreign relations of the two Koreas in 2012. Additional papers deal with topics such as the promotion of the South Korea-EU trade agreement, the globalisation debate in South Korean higher education, the ideational foundations of the South Korean Unification…
The Arirang Mass Games of North Korea
Having grown up in East Germany, from early on I have been familiar with all kinds of mass performances, including organized parades, meetings, or so-called mass games or mass gymnastics. All of them involved large numbers of people, often in the thousands or tens of thousands. The performances were characterized by a high level of synchronism and uniformity. They included music, artistic components, dancing and marching. They brimmed over with s…
Ian Jeffries, North Korea, 2009-2012: A Guide to Economic and Political Developments
North Korea's Autonomy 1965-2015
The 7th Party Congress in North Korea: An Analysis of Kim Jong Un's Report
The single most remarkable feature of the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was that it took place at all, after a hiatus of no less than 36 years.Ever since Kim Il Sung decided in the 1950s that his country needed its own way of doing things, which is often summarized under the term of chuch'e, it has been hard to categorize the DPRK as a typical socialist country. North Korea has always been different. It neither joined the mili…
Closing the Kaesŏng Industrial Zone: An Assessment
On February 10, 2016, the South Korean government announced that it would close the Kaesŏng Industrial Zone (KIZ) in response to the North Korean nuclear test of January 6th and the launch of a satellite on February 7th. The zone, sometimes simply called by the name of the adjacent city of Kaesŏng, had been the last tangible outcome of the historic first inter-Korean summit of June 2000, which later that year had earned one of its two participant…
Current Affairs in North Korea, 2010-2017: A Collection of Research Notes
Starting with the public introduction of Kim Jong-un to the public in autumn of 2010 and ending with observations of consumerism in February 2017, this collection of 16 short research notes that were originally published at 38North discusses some of the most crucial issues, aside from the nuclear problem, that dominated the field of North Korean Studies in the past decade. Left in their original form, these short articles show the consistency of …
Korean Peninsula Historical and Political Studies (21 works) · Political science (20 works) · Law (14 works) · Economics (11 works) · Politics (9 works) · Economic Sanctions and International Relations (6 works) · Geography (5 works) · Political economy (5 works) · Asian Industrial and Economic Development (4 works) · Business (4 works)