"Grassroots Marketization"

Acemoglu and Robinson frequently write of the need for inclusive institutions in fostering sustained economic growth. One group that's very close to home is helping create a more inclusive environment in a country known for institutions that are severely extractive: North Korea.

Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) is an on-grounds club dedicated to raising awareness of the oppression in North Korea while aiding refugees in establishing roots in the Charlotteville area. The idea behind LiNK is that it uses people power rather than international political coercion to undermine the Korean Government. It takes advantage of a little-known and infrequently discussed fact; that North Koreans are turning to unofficial and inclusive markets to better themselves.

Extreme extraction leads to debilitating poverty. LiNK is

helping to alleviate these conditions.

As the video on the national organization's home page indicates, North Koreans are acquiring contraband technologies to help facilitate their escape. If and when they do reach their goal - usually America or South Korea - they send money back home to help foster the unofficial market that helped them leave. To quote the video, "It's fueling the grassroots marketization of the country." This provides a sphere of inclusivity within the shell of the totally extractive political reality. Hopefully, LiNK can help North Korean refugees transform their country through this furtively bottom-up, inclusive approach.