Foreign Aid in North Korea: Can We Meet?

In the mid-1990s the outside world responded to a
severe famine hitting North Korea and started
assisting several millions of people. In September
2005 the North Korean government announced that the
international humanitarian assistance was no longer
desired. This resulted in a large gap between the
type of assistance North Korea wanted to receive,
and the assistance that the international donor
community was prepared to provide to the country.
The empirical evidence of this study, collected
during a field trip of three weeks to North Korea in
2006, identifies the development strategies of the
respective parties. The study evaluates the realism
of the two parties development strategies,
resulting in an analysis of when and where there is
room for North Korea and the international donor
community to agree on foreign assistance to the
country. The precarious conditions of the North
Korean people call for continued efforts to solve
the current situation and reduce the gap between the
North Korean government and foreign donors. This
underlines the need for academics, policy makers and
aid workers to deepen our understanding of when and
where we can meet.

Autorentext

Pia Lindström, M.Sc., B.Sc.: Studied International Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics and Political Science at Stockholm University. Currently working at the UNDP in Bhutan. Mikael Staaf, M.Sc.: Studied International Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics. Currently working at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Klappentext

In the mid-1990s the outside world responded to asevere famine hitting North Korea and startedassisting several millions of people. In September 2005 the North Korean government announced that theinternational humanitarian assistance was no longerdesired. This resulted in a large gap between thetype of assistance North Korea wanted to receive,and the assistance that the international donorcommunity was prepared to provide to the country.The empirical evidence of this study, collectedduring a field trip of three weeks to North Korea in 2006, identifies the development strategies of therespective parties. The study evaluates the realismof the two parties' development strategies, resulting in an analysis of when and where there is room for North Korea and the international donor community to agree on foreign assistance to the country. The precarious conditions of the North Korean people call for continued efforts to solve the current situation and reduce the gap between the North Korean government and foreign donors. This underlines the need for academics, policy makers and aid workers to deepen our understanding of when and where we can meet.