Young Jun Choi , Hyung-min Joo , Taehee Whang , Wooseon Choi
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Since the collapse of its socialist command economy in the mid-1990s, North Korea has experienced marketization from below. Has bottom-up marketization also affected the factors that determine subjective perceptions of socioeconomic status in North Korea? Although many studies have investigated various recent changes in North Korea, they often suffer from a lack of solid empirical research based on reliable data. In this paper, we theorize that political factors, which are typically most important in a socialist society, were critical in determining socioeconomic status during the early years of marketization, but economic factors have played an increasingly important role in the more mature stages of marketization. To test our theory, we use a survey of 1,309 North Korean defectors and in-depth interviews with 73 defectors. The results confirm that the key determinants of subjective socioeconomic status have shifted from political factors to market-related elements in contemporary North Korean society.
期刊介绍:
The Asian Journal of Social Science is a principal outlet for scholarly articles on Asian societies published by the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore. AJSS provides a unique forum for theoretical debates and empirical analyses that move away from narrow disciplinary focus. It is committed to comparative research and articles that speak to cases beyond the traditional concerns of area and single-country studies. AJSS strongly encourages transdisciplinary analysis of contemporary and historical social change in Asia by offering a meeting space for international scholars across the social sciences, including anthropology, cultural studies, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology. AJSS also welcomes humanities-oriented articles that speak to pertinent social issues. AJSS publishes internationally peer-reviewed research articles, special thematic issues and shorter symposiums. AJSS also publishes book reviews and review essays, research notes on Asian societies, and short essays of special interest to students of the region.