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Marcus Noland, senior fellow and director of studies, has been associated with the Institute since 1985. From 2009 through 2012, he served as the Institute's deputy director. His research addresses a wide range of topics at the interstice of economics, political science, and international relations. His areas of geographical knowledge and interest include Asia and Africa where he has lived and worked, and the Middle East. In the past he has written extensively on the economies of Japan, Korea, and China, and is unique among American economists in having devoted serious scholarly effort to the problems of North Korea and the prospects for Korean unification. He won the 2000–01 Ohira Memorial Award for his book Avoiding the Apocalypse: The Future of the Two Koreas.
Noland was educated at Swarthmore College (BA) and the Johns Hopkins University (PhD). He is currently a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and at the East-West Center. He was previously a senior economist at the Council of Economic Advisers in the Executive Office of the President of the United States. He has held research or teaching positions at Yale University, the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Southern California, Tokyo University, Saitama University (now the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies), the University of Ghana, the Korea Development Institute, and the East-West Center. He has received fellowships sponsored by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars, and the Pohang Iron and Steel Corporation (POSCO).
Noland is the author of Korea after Kim Jong-il (2004), Avoiding the Apocalypse: The Future of the Two Koreas (2000), Pacific Basin Developing Countries: Prospects for the Future (1990); coauthor of The Arab Economies in a Changing World, Second Edition (2011), Witness to Transformation: Refugee Insights into North Korea (2011), The Arab Economies in a Changing World (2007), Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform (Columbia University Press, 2007), Industrial Policy in an Era of Globalization: Lessons From Asia (2003), No More Bashing: Building a New Japan–United States Economic Relationship (2001), Global Economic Effects of the Asian Currency Devaluations (1998), Reconcilable Differences? United States-Japan Economic Conflict with C. Fred Bergsten (1993), and Japan in the World Economy with Bela Balassa (1988); coeditor of Pacific Dynamism and the International Economic System (1993); and editor of Economic Integration of the Korean Peninsula (1998). In addition to these books he has written many scholarly articles on international economics, US trade policy, and the economies of the Asia-Pacific region. He has served as an occasional consultant to organizations, such as the World Bank and the National Intelligence Council, and has testified before the US Congress on numerous occasions.
CNN North Korea: A Smuggler's Paradise Video | April 10, 2013 Marcus Noland tells CNN that the North Korean city of Chongjin, historically, has been a center of the chemicals industry, and in its depressed state, has become a center of making illegal methamphetamines, which get shipped across the border into China. The smuggling creates meth addicts in China and angers Chinese officials.
ABC Radio (Australia) North Korea and Sanctions Audio | April 8, 2013 Marcus Noland engages in an hour-long discussion on how effective sanctions have been on North Korea and the ethical and legal boundaries of sanctions.
NPR What's Behind North Korea's Latest Threats? Audio | April 3, 2013 Marcus Noland joins the second half of this discussion [35 minute mark] to explain what life is like for the average North Korean.
NPR's All Things Considered North Korea Severs 'Hotline' Communication with the South after Sanctions Audio with transcript | March 11, 2013 Marcus Noland says deterrence by the United States and South Korea, not the armistice or hotlines, is what has maintained stability on the Korean Peninsula for the last 60 years.
The Kojo Nnamdi Show North Korea and the Global Economy January 10, 2013 Following a visit to North Korea by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, Marcus Noland and Kojo Nnamdi discuss business interests in North Korea and the North Korean economy.
CNN North Korea: Kim Conciliatory? Video | January 1, 2013 In response to Kim Jong Un's New Year’s remarks, Marcus Noland says that the young leader's promises—a reformed economy, more resources going to the military, and better relations with South Korea—just do not add up.
NPR | KUOW Seattle North Korea 101 Interview | April 20, 2012 Marcus Noland and Sung-Yoon Lee, Fletcher School at Tufts University, join NPR affiliate KUOW in Seattle to discuss why North Korea is still planning to do a nuclear test.
Bloomberg Outlook for North Korea Following Kim Jong Il Death Video | December 19, 2011 Marcus Noland remarks that the risks to stability in North Korea following Kim Jong-il's death stem from his successor Kim Jong-un's relative weakness; either he may not be able to control the military or, to burnish his own credentials, he may engage in military provocations.
Marketplace from American Public Media North Korea Will Go about 'Business as Usual' Audio | December 19, 2011 Marketplace Radio interviews Marcus Noland about the implications of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's death.
Hawaii Public Radio The Conversation, March 21, 2011 Clip of radio interview | March 21, 2011 Beth-Ann Kozlovich, cohost of The Conversation, Hawaii Public Radio, interviews Marcus Noland about the lingering uncertainty facing Japan following the March 11 disaster and what to expect in the near and medium term. This portion of the full broadcast is provided below with the permission of HPR.
Fox Business News Stocks Soar on G-7 Effort to Stabilize Yen Video | March 18, 2011 Fox Business News calls Marcus Noland back to discuss further the G-7 currency intervention that he correctly predicted earlier on the show would calm the yen.
On Point The Quake's Economic Impact, Japan and Beyond Radio interview | March 16, 2011 On Point interviews Marcus Noland, Peterson Institute; Ken Belson, New York Times; and David Griffith, Michigan State University, about the economic impact of the disaster in Japan on both that country and the world. Noland's comments begin at the 9 min. 40 sec. mark.
CBC News: Lang and O'Leary Exchange Economic Assessment of Japan Quake Video | March 11, 2011 Marcus Noland tells CBC News that while the toll of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan is horrendous in human costs, in the medium run, the destruction could lead to an economic rebirth. Noland's comments begin at the 17 min. 24 sec. mark.
Reuters Insider Economic Impact of the Japan Quake Video | March 11, 2011 Marcus Noland tells Reuters Insider that in the short run, the earthquake that hit Japan March 11, 2011, will have negative economic effects, but in the medium term, there are positive opportunities for Japan's stimulus and rebuilding program.
TBS eFM: The Evening Show Radio Interview on Witness to Transformation: Refugee Insights into North Korea Radio interview | February 1, 2011 Marcus Noland discusses his new book, Witness to Transformation: Refugee Insights into North Korea in a radio interview broadcast on TBS eFM’s, The Evening Show in South Korea. Audio posted with the permission of TBS eFM.
Marketplace Radio The Long-Term Economic Challenges Egypt Must Overcome Audio with transcript | February 1, 2011 Marcus Noland tells Marketplace Radio that Egypt's basic issue is unemployment, which is exacerbated by its proximity to other Middle East countries with greater resources.
