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.

Mongolian Pop Culture: Live from UB

Posted on April 2, 2013 by JDierkes

Lauren Knapp recently sent us this description of her project on contemporary Mongolian music: Documentary filmmaker, Lauren Knapp spent most of 2012 living in Ulaanbaatar attending just about every rock concert she could. She was researching and filming her forthcoming … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Pop Culture, Social Media, Society and Culture | Tagged | Leave a comment

Z Enkhbold, Chairman, Great State Khural to Visit Vancouver

Posted on March 14, 2013 by JDierkes

During an official visit to Canada, H.E. Z Enkhbold, Chairman of the Mongolian Parliament, will address current developments in Mongolia. A panel discussion and Q&A will follow. Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Politics, Research on Mongolia | Tagged | 1 Comment

Book Chapter: Finding the Buddha Hidden Below the Sand

Posted on February 12, 2013 by JDierkes

Matthew King describes his on-going research on the revival of Buddhism in Mongolia to expand upon his chapter in “Change in Democratic Mongolia”. Continue reading →

Posted in Book: Change in Democratic Mongolia, Civil Society, Environmental Movements, Nationalism, Religion, Research on Mongolia, Social Movements, Society and Culture | Tagged | 1 Comment

Foreign Investment to Mongolia: Restrictions, China, and Comparisons with Canada II

Posted on February 1, 2013 by JDierkes

Is Mongolia’s Foreign Investment Law freezing FDI to that high-growth economy? Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Canada, Corruption, Economics, Foreign Investment, Foreign Policy, Governance, International Relations, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mongolia and ..., Oyu Tolgoi, Policy | Tagged | 1 Comment

Mongolia Jumps to Higher Category in Freedom House Political Rights

Posted on January 16, 2013 by JDierkes

Mongolia’s political rights evaluated in top category by Freedom House. Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Corruption, Democracy, Education, Elections, Gender, Global Indices, Governance, Inequality, JD Democratization, Media and Press, Party Politics, Social Movements | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mongolia Moves up in WorldBank Ease of Doing Business Ranking

Posted on January 9, 2013 by JDierkes

WorldBank moves Mongolia up in its “Ease of Doing Business” ranking. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Policy | Tagged | 1 Comment

Mongolia Focus This Year

Posted on January 2, 2013 by JDierkes

A quick overview of the traffic to the Mongolia Today blog in 2012. Nearly 45,000 pages were viewed by over 16,000 unique visitors. Continue reading →

Posted in Reflection, Research on Mongolia, Social Media | Tagged | 2 Comments

Mongolia this Year

Posted on December 30, 2012 by JDierkes

It’s been quite a year for Mongolia in that the rest of the world paid some attention to Mongolia, at least in punctuated bursts… Mongolia in the News Rapid Growth The news item that probably attracted most international attention was … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Elections, Foreign Investment, Foreign Policy, Ikh Khural 2012, Local Elections 2012, Media and Press, Nationalism, Oyu Tolgoi, Politics, Publications, Research on Mongolia, Social Media | Tagged | 2 Comments

More on Corruption in Mongolia According to Transparency International: Further Comparisons

Posted on December 7, 2012 by JDierkes

Mongolia compared to other countries for the Corruption Perception Index in more ways. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Civil Society, Corruption, Foreign Investment, Global Indices, Mongolia and ... | Tagged | 1 Comment

FDI to Mongolia: Restrictions, China, and Comparisons with Canada

Posted on December 5, 2012 by JDierkes

Are there similarities between Foreign Investment Laws in Canada and Mongolia and what lessons does the Mongolian experience hold? Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Canada, Economics, Foreign Investment, Governance, International Relations, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mongolia and ..., Oyu Tolgoi | Tagged | 7 Comments

Corruption in Mongolia according to Transparency International

Posted on December 5, 2012 by JDierkes

Corruption is one of the most prominent features cited in any overview of Mongolian politics, political risk, human development or investment potential. Yet, any hard evidence on the prevalence, extent and mechanisms of corruption are very hard to come by. … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Civil Society, Corruption, Foreign Investment, JD Mining Governance, Mongolia and ... | Tagged | 8 Comments

New Book: A History of Land Use in Mongolia: The Thirteenth Century to the Present

Posted on December 3, 2012 by JDierkes

Elizabeth Endicott (Middlebury College) publishes a new book on the history of land use in Mongolia. Continue reading →

Posted in Grassland, Nomadism, Publications, Research on Mongolia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Book Chapter: Introduction to Change in Democratic Mongolia

Posted on November 13, 2012 by JDierkes

Summary of the introduction to the new book volume, “Change in Democratic Mongolia – Social Relations, Health, Mobile Pastoralism, and Mining” Continue reading →

Posted in Book: Change in Democratic Mongolia, Research on Mongolia | Tagged | 1 Comment

Guest Post: Southern Gobi Water Shortage

Posted on November 4, 2012 by JDierkes

Michelle Olson expands upon her series of articles on water issues in the South Gobi for the UB Post. Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Environment, Michelle Tolson, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Water | Tagged | 3 Comments

Foreign Investment Considerations in Canada Resemble Mongolian Law

Posted on October 24, 2012 by JDierkes

Talk of a two-track investment review distinguishing state-owned from private investors in Canada mirrors provisions in May 2012 Mongolian foreign investment law. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Canada, Foreign Investment, Mining, Policy | Tagged | Leave a comment