That's true anywhere, and it's what governments of all stripes worry about and steer. Western ones do it with a bit more finesse, but there's little fundamental difference. It's why Chomsky talks about 'manufacturing consent', and why marketing is an important field for Western governments, as covered in some detail by Adam Curtis. The UK government even have a unit dedicated to 'nudge theory'.
The US government makes it very hard to leave, no finesse involved. To renounce your U.S. citizenship, you have to pay a fee of over $2000, pay huge "exit taxes", and provide six years of tax compliance proof to the IRS. http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/10/pf/taxes/expat-passport-citi...
