Description
This research aims to examine the question of why and how one country has sustained a continuous civil movement against authoritarian rule, while the other grapples with estab-lishing a culture of civil society or fostering an enabling environment, by employing a com-parative case study as part of the qualitative research methodology, between North Korea and Myanmar (Burma) under the authoritarian regime. For example, ordinary citizens in North Korea face challenges in organising effective resistance against the regime. The po-tential for significant change in North Korean society lies with economic elites, specifically the middle-income class and street-level bureaucrats. However, they have tended to align themselves with the existing power structure and preserve their privileged status in society. Thus, civil society would play a crucial role in preventing corruption and narrowing societal gaps. Although the North Korean regime does not function for its people, international aid can bring about changes by supporting capacity building and development. This was evi-dent in the Central and Eastern European countries during the democratic transition period, where international aid served as a catalyst for instilling a culture of accountability and ex-panding market-associated changes for civil society empowerment. Yet, there are challenges in how international aid can function in a country like North Korea, where the state regime is hesitant to accept external aid support, especially from so-called Western countries, not to mention the current sanctions regime. With this in mind, the proposed research will carry value-added because it is rarely dealt with in the field of study.
