Category Archives: Countryside

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

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

National Survey of Mongolian Public Opinion

Posted on May 3, 2016 by JDierkes

By Bulgan B and Julian Dierkes Just three weeks after Santmaral’s PolitBarometer came out, we have another indicator of Mongolian public opinion, courtesy of IRI with funding from the Canadian government, the “National Survey of Mongolian Public Opinion”. (Full Results … Continue reading →

Posted in Aimags, Countryside, Democracy, Democratic Party, Ikh Khural 2016, Media and Press, Mining Governance, Party Politics, Public Opinion, Research on Mongolia, Security Apparatus, Social Issues | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Education about Extractives to Alleviate Poverty

Posted on April 8, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes As we continue the “IMAGinE Mongolia” work on drafting a curriculum for providing basic and more advanced knowledge of the extractive sector, there are a number of challenges we’re running into in discussions with colleagues from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aimags, CIRDI, Countryside, Development, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mining Governance, Policy, Regulation, Water | Tagged | Leave a comment

Berkeley Conference “Deadly Modernity”

Posted on March 25, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes The Mongolia Initiative at UC Berkeley’s Institute of East Asian Studies hosted a conference entitled “Deadly Modernity: The Environmental Crisis Behind Mongolia’s Swift Development” March 10-12, 2016. I don’t think anyone was tweeting from the conference, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Pollution, Conferences, Countryside, Environment, Environment, Environmental Movements, Grassland, Health, Mining, Nationalism, Policy, Politics, Research on Mongolia, River Movements, Social Movements, Water | Tagged | 1 Comment

Training about the Extractives Sector

Posted on March 22, 2016 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes One of the specific focus areas in CIRDI’s “IMAGinE Mongolia” activities is to draft a training curriculum to provide an introduction and overview, but also specialized training to the public and to officials in four aimags, Selenge, … Continue reading →

Posted in CIRDI, Countryside, Development, Education, Environment, Higher Education, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mining Governance | Tagged | 2 Comments

Learning about Development Policy in Uvs Aimag

Posted on December 15, 2015 by JDierkes

I just visited Uvs province in Western Mongolia for the first time and had the chance to meet with stakeholder representatives from government, civil society, small businesses, and the corporate sector to learn about their development policy. Fascinating 1st visit … Continue reading →

Posted in CIRDI, Civil Society, Countryside, Development, Mining, Policy, Policy, Regulation, Social Issues, Social Movements, Water | Tagged | 2 Comments

Methodology as a Methodology

Posted on December 10, 2015 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes As exhausting as all-day meetings with stakeholders can be (with a bit of jetlag, multiple languages and instant coffee thrown into the mix), I am always fascinated by how individuals present themselves, what they are looking for, … Continue reading →

Posted in CIRDI, Countryside, Curios, Social Issues, Society and Culture | Tagged | Leave a comment

Countryside Impressions

Posted on November 1, 2015 by JDierkes

On recent visits, I have generally been stuck in Ulaanbaatar. In late October, however, I had the opportunity to travel out to Arvaikheer, the capital of Uvurkhangai and to collect some impressions from this brief foray into the countryside. As … Continue reading →

Posted in CIRDI, Countryside, Curios, Development | Tagged | Leave a comment

State-Sponsored Formalization of Household Herding in Rural Bayanhongor

Posted on April 29, 2014 by JDierkes

“A herder is master of 1000 professions.” President Elbegdorj, printed at the top of herder diplomas The Presence of the State in Rural Mongolia Over the course of my dissertation fieldwork in Mongolia, I spent a considerable amount of time … Continue reading →

Posted in Ariell Ahearn, Countryside, Education, Nomadism, Presidential 2013, Research on Mongolia | 1 Comment

Moving with the Seasons: A Photography book on Mongolian Nomads

Posted on September 25, 2013 by JDierkes

Liza F. Carter traveled five times to Mongolia over four years to document the daily life of a modern nomadic family and to photograph a way of life that is fast disappearing. Moving with the Seasons: Portrait of a Mongolian Family is a stunning book … Continue reading →

Posted in Countryside, Nomadism | Leave a comment

Guest Post: Christopher Carter on the Role of Bag Governors

Posted on August 27, 2013 by JDierkes

This post features a new community character from Bag 4, Abu the bag governor. This summer alongside this community I experimented with a participatory planning tool that I hope to refine over the upcoming years at UBC.  Participating clans were … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Carter, Countryside, Kazakhs, Nomadism, Research on Mongolia, Water | 1 Comment

Guest Post: Christopher Carter on Kazakh Mongolians in Far West

Posted on August 13, 2013 by JDierkes

For the past month I have been living at the mountain pastures of the fourth bag of Saqai Soum in Olgii province Mongolia working on researching participatory planning and water resource development. Olgii province is home to Mongolia’s largest ethnicity, a Kazakh … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Carter, Countryside, Grassland, Kazakhs, Nomadism, Water | Leave a comment

Guest Post: The Mongolian Tourism Industry and Obstacles to Maximizing Its Potential

Posted on January 14, 2012 by JDierkes

Lack of co-ordination among players keeps Mongolian tourism industry from realizing its potential. Continue reading →

Posted in Countryside, Environment, Tourism, Tye Ebel | Leave a comment