Author Archives: JDierkes

About JDierkes

Research on Mongolia for over 20 years, particular focus on mining policy and democratization. Princeton-trained sociologist. Dean, School of Social Sciences, Univ of Mannheim.

Immediate Reactions to MPP Landslide

Posted on June 29, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes Wow, what a victory for the MPP. Certainly unexpected in this magnitude, but that’s what happens with first-past-the-post voting, i.e. a series of small and big victories in constituencies adds up to a HUGE victory in terms … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Ikh Khural 2016, Mongolian People's Party | Tagged | 2 Comments

Early Projections: Landslide Victory for MPP

Posted on June 29, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes Preliminary results are all suggesting a landslide win for MPP, nay, complete rout of DP. Projections are suggesting a majority of over 60 seats for MPP with the DP held to around a dozen seats. Early returns … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Ikh Khural 2016, Mongolian People's Party | Tagged | Leave a comment

Tales of Election Observation

Posted on June 28, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes As Mongolia votes today on June 29, I’m feeling a bit left out. I was an election observer in the last four national elections, but am unable to be in Mongolia this time around. Role of Observers … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Countryside, Curios, Elections, Ikh Khural 2016, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

What I’m Watching for on Election Night

Posted on June 27, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes Whether or not we’ll see a result already in the night of June 29/30 will depend a bit on how many close races there will be and whether any constituencies will come close to the minimum 50% … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Ikh Khural 2016, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Changing of the DP Guard?

Posted on June 26, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes My sense is that there is not only significant frustration with the concrete implementation of democracy and its institutions in Mongolia, but more specifically with the two big political parties, MAHAH. One of the frustrations I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Democratic Party, Demography, Ikh Khural 2016, Politics, Social Issues, Younger Mongolians | Tagged | Leave a comment

Election Day

Posted on June 22, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes The spectre of the July 1 2008 riots still loom over Mongolian elections. While full explanations never really emerged, it seems that those riots were a combination of some orchestration of protests, the latent potential for protests in … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Ikh Khural 2016, JD Democratization, Protest, Security Apparatus | Tagged | Leave a comment

Halfway through Сонгууль 2016 Campaign

Posted on June 20, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes The election campaign for the State Great Khural election on June 29 is over halfway through its official 18-day period. While it has been an active campaign for the 498 candidates, and visibly so, it has been … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic Party, Ikh Khural 2016, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Social Media | Tagged | 2 Comments

Civil Society Perspective on State’s Role in Large Resource Projects

Posted on June 19, 2016 by JDierkes

By Bilguun N ICF Workshop “State’s Role in Large Resource Projects” – Perspectives of Civil Society When Ts Munkhbayar, was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, he was interviewed by Anthropologist Bumochir Dulam. He explained a truthful reason to come to the parliament house with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bilguun Nandinbilig, CIRDI, Governance, Mining, Social Movements | Leave a comment

Interesting Constellations of Candidates

Posted on June 17, 2016 by JDierkes

There are always some interesting individuals, opposing races, and categories of candidates to be found among a number of candidates as large as 498 in this election. Wrestlers Bat-Erdene B (incumbent, MPP, Khentii, 40) Sumiyabazar D (incumbent, MPP, Songinokhairkhan 73) … Continue reading →

Posted in Ikh Khural 2016 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Small, Unanticipated Impacts

Posted on June 16, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes [With some notes from CIRDI program manager, Marie-Luise Ermisch, PhD] One of the challenges on attempting to apply my understanding of contemporary Mongolia through development interventions has been that it is forcing me to learn a number … Continue reading →

Posted in CIRDI, Development, International Cooperation Fund, Mongolia and ... | Tagged | Leave a comment

Guest Post: State Participation in Resources Projects

Posted on June 15, 2016 by JDierkes

By Unurjargal U The State’s Role in Large Resource Projects The appropriate forms for state participation in mining sector – a sensitive issue in Mongolia. The Canadian International Mineral Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI) organized a cooperation conference with the … Continue reading →

Posted in CIRDI, Mining, Mining Governance, Policy, Unurjargal Urjin | Leave a comment

Notes on Parliamentary Election Candidates & Races

Posted on June 10, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes The official campaign for the June 29 parliamentary election kicked off on June 11. The General Election Commission published the official list of candidates on June 7. I’ve been trying to sort through this list to take note … Continue reading →

Posted in Countryside, Ikh Khural 2016, Party Politics, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | 3 Comments

Guest Post: ICF Workshop – Private Sector Perspective

Posted on June 7, 2016 by JDierkes

By Aligermaa B Does the state, responsible for national welfare, have any business getting actively involved in a business, even in one related to essential services or strategic national resources? Or, should everything be left to the private sector which, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aligermaa Bayarsaikhan, Business, CIRDI, EITI, International Cooperation Fund, Mining, Mining Governance | 2 Comments

Transparency and My Independence

Posted on June 3, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes Mongolian Since around 2014, I have increasingly been asked why I am interested in Mongolia. As my interest is academic and curiosity-driven, I thought it best to offer a discussion of my independence in providing analyses of contemporary Mongolia, … Continue reading →

Posted in Research on Mongolia | Tagged | 4 Comments

Democracy in Decline?

Posted on June 2, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes Dear Democracy, May you rest in peace. Sincerely, Mongolia. — Lkhagva Erdene (@Lkhagva) May 28, 2016 Is it time to worry seriously about the state of democracy in Mongolia? Mongolian Democracy in International Context Globally, democracy appears … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Elections, Governance, Ikh Khural 2016, JD Democratization, Media and Press, Party Politics, Politics, Security Apparatus | Tagged | 3 Comments