Cambodia—Economic System

Cambodia—Economic System

The nature of Cambodia's economic system reflects the deep complexity of Cambodian society. On one hand, it has witnessed great changes, having ebbed and flowed with the shifting ideological convictions of the country's ruling regimes and with their shifting international and political alliances. On the other hand, it has been characterized by the continuity of the seasons of planting and harvesting that have molded social and religious life in Cambodia for centuries. Cambodia's economic system, like the society it supports, has been shaped by the country's agricultural heritage and orientation. This article provides an overview of this economic system, tracing its evolution and structure, and describing how it functions on the outer fringes of the global economy.

Evolution of the Economic System

Following substantial destruction and disruption to Cambodia's economic infrastructure and economic management apparatuses during the 1970–1975 civil war, the Khmer Rouge effectively overturned economic life in Cambodia. It is this period (1975–1979) that is central to understanding the economic system of Cambodia today. Intent on rebuilding the country from the ground up, the Khmer Rouge regime was responsible for implementing massive changes in the nature of the Cambodian economic system. First, the regime ruthlessly dismantled the formal economic structures of the regimes they had succeeded.

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