Cambodia is the only country in the modern era to have had money, had that money abolished, and then had money reinstated. Shiller, in the article mentioned previously, mentioned - without detail - that Marxist Communism supported the idea of societies without money. This, of course, is correct. But I should emphasise that Marx went further than just support the abolition of money. In fact, this was central to Marxism.
Read moreTrust, Economic Growth, and Aid in Post-Conflict Cambodia: More Questions Than Answers
Tomba Pol Pot, E' stato cremato con le gomme dei trattori e dei camion, il massimo dell'umiliazione; Du Hangst; CC BY 2.0
From the perspective of political economy, the realities of contemporary Anlong Veng make perfect sense – Douglass North’s famous statement about the “stickiness” of institutions, both formal and informal. At the same time, however, it raised the question of the current state of societal trust in Cambodia and the impacts thereof as to economic development.
Read moreKhmer Rouge terror tactics during the 1980s
The Khmer Rouge communists continued to wage a protracted low-intensity battle by targeting lines of communication and other economic targets as a tactic to terrorize the people and undermine any faith they might have in the ability of the PRK regime to protect them. They also employed a combination of tactics such as propaganda, bribery, intimidation, torture and outright execution of PRK officials.
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