ECNK Fellows Peter Ward and Benjamin Silberstein explore the unique strategy of political control employed by Kim Jong Un in North Korea, addressing a gap in understanding how the regime maintains power. Using concepts from comparative authoritarianism, they investigate the roles of repression, co-optation, coercive distribution, and containment in response to external/internal threats. Their research focuses on border regulation and management of urban entrepreneurs & farmers as case studies. The authors find that Kim Jong Un's strategy involves simultaneous co-optation, repression, and coercive distribution (especially under COVID-19), building on and modifying previous strategies. The research contributes to a richer understanding of authoritarian regimes.

Ward, Peter, and Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein. "Strategies of Political Control under Kim Jong Un: Understanding the Changing Mix of Containment, Repression, Co-optation, and Coercive Distribution." Asian Survey (2023): 1-27.