North Korea is one of the poorest countries in the world, with half its population living in extreme poverty. Much existing literature on North Korea focuses on the security situation in the Korean Peninsula and the paths to peace. We instead focus on blue-sky thinking that is not aimed at recommending political and security processes by which North Korea can get to a state of economic integration, but to contribute to developing a blueprint for economic reforms once the situation in North Korea becomes amenable to it. Toward this end, we develop a roadmap of reforms to enable investment flow into North Korea to create economic growth and development. Having such a blueprint will help the country if and when it gets integrated into the global community. And we entertain the likelihood that a focus on what is possible might even aid attempts at such integration in the first place. This report is likely to be of interest to scholars and policymakers alike who study and deal with North Korea. 

This study was undertaken by two divisions of the RAND Corporation: RAND Education and Labor and RAND Social and Economic Well-Being. RAND Education and Labor conducts research on early childhood through postsecondary education programs, workforce development, and programs and policies affecting workers, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy and decisionmaking. Questions about RAND Education and Labor should be directed to educationandlabor@rand.org. RAND Social and Economic Well-Being is a division of the RAND Corporation that seeks to actively improve the health and social and economic well-being of populations and communities throughout the world. For more information, email sbp@rand.org. 

More information about RAND can be found at www.rand.org. Questions about this report should be directed to Krishna B. Kumar at kumar@rand.org.