Category Archives: Policy

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

Guest Post: Mongolia 2016 – Will there be light at the end of the tunnel?

Posted on December 8, 2015 by JDierkes

By Stefan Hanselmann If the development of the last quarter of 2015 can serve as an indicator, we can eventually expect for next year some real light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, Mongolia had to learn the hard … Continue reading →

Posted in Bilateral Aid, Business, Development, Diversification, Economics, Foreign Investment, Ikh Khural 2016, Inflation, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Politics, Stefan Hanselmann | Leave a comment

Policy Series: Mining Policy Failures (I)

Posted on June 2, 2015 by mendee

Mining policy is a good entry point to understand the overall policy-making processes of Mongolia. For one, mining has been one of the dominant economic sectors of Mongolia since the early 1900s.[1] Second, with extensive mining activities, mining has caused … Continue reading →

Posted in Governance, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Policy, Policy Series | Tagged | 2 Comments

Policy Series: Typical Explanations for Policy Failures (II)

Posted on June 2, 2015 by mendee

The following explanations are commonly offered to explain these faulty mining policies. External Factors – In the absence of major international or regional armed conflicts and threats (conventional and non-conventional), politicians often highlight two external factors – the dynamics of … Continue reading →

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Policy Series: A Typical Quick Solution – ‘Let’s Change It’ Syndrome (III)

Posted on June 2, 2015 by mendee

In retrospect, the most common methods for dealing with policy failures have been first to blame each other – politicians, parties, factions, and civil society activists in addition to geopolitics and global economy and second to change policies without asking … Continue reading →

Posted in Governance, Policy, Policy, Policy Series, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Policy Series: Are There Better Solutions? (IV)

Posted on June 2, 2015 by mendee

There are many possible ways to improve the quality of the policy-making institutions and process to improve mining policies and reduce failed policies. In fact, all politicians are well aware of these possible solutions, but they lack political will and … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution, Governance, Law, Policy, Policy Series, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Feeling (Politically) Pessimistic for Coming Year

Posted on February 18, 2015 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes It is Tsagaan Sar, so happy new year to all of Mongolia and to Mongolians! Сар шинэдээ сайхан шинэлээрэй What will the year of the sheep bring? The sheep Gestalt (зурхай) seems to expect a windy Spring and … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution, Democracy, Democratic Party, Economics, Elections, Foreign Investment, Governance, Ikh Khural 2016, Inflation, JD Democratization, JD Mining Governance, Mongolian People's Party, Oyu Tolgoi, Party Politics, Policy, Politics, Populism, Security Apparatus | Tagged | 2 Comments

Poll Results – Direct and Indirect

Posted on February 4, 2015 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes PM Saikhanbileg has announced the results of the mega-projects vs austerity SMS poll. This announcement is important because we learn about this particular direct democracy initiative, but also because it included an announcement of proposals to revise … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Foreign Investment, Governance, JD Democratization, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Politics, Public Opinion | Tagged | 2 Comments

Policy Series: Failure of Not Asking Hard Questions

Posted on December 1, 2014 by mendee

Government policies should provide solutions to our problems. They reduce uncertainty by building trust among all players.  But, in Mongolia’s case, policies have been fragile, unstable, and unpredictable.  Overall, our policies increase uncertainty and build mistrust among ourselves and our partners. What do … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Policy Series | Tagged | Leave a comment

Policy Series

Posted on November 30, 2014 by JDierkes

Over the past several weeks, discussions in “Little Mongolia” in UBC’s Choi Bldg about Mongolian politics have heated up in parallel with the turmoil the Mongolian government is experiencing. Mendee (UBC Political Science PhD candidate), Damdinnyam Gongor (UBC Mining Engineering … Continue reading →

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Progress on Oyu Tolgoi?

Posted on September 25, 2014 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes The Mongolian government has been battling a homemade economic crisis for some two years now. It has been a largely self-inflicted crisis brought on by some hasty policy decisions regarding investments that have led to a massive … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Foreign Investment, Foreign Policy, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Russia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mongolia in the 2014 Social Progress Index

Posted on April 8, 2014 by JDierkes

[This post was written jointly by Undral Amarsaikhan and Julian Dierkes] On April 2, the Social Progressive Imperative released its 2014 Social Progress Index. For the first time, this included Mongolia. The Social Progressive Index is an index of indices … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Pollution, Corruption, Development, Economics, Education, Global Indices, Governance, Nomadism, Policy, Policy, Primary and Secondary Education, Research on Mongolia, Social Change, Undral Amarsaikhan, Water | Tagged | 1 Comment

Results from the Corruption Perception Index 2013

Posted on December 2, 2013 by JDierkes

On Dec 3, Transparency International released its annual Corruption Perception Index. Previous Posts Last year, I wrote two blog posts that specifically focused on the CPI score for Mongolia: https://mongoliafocus.com/2012/corruption-transparency-international/ https://mongoliafocus.com/2012/more-on-corruption-in-mongolia-according-to-transparency-international-further-comparisons/ Last weekend, I wrote a post that looked ahead … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Governance, Media and Press, Policy, Social Issues | Tagged | Leave a comment

If not an SWF then what?

Posted on October 10, 2013 by JDierkes

At the recent World Economic Forum’s “Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Mongolia” I heard a lot of talk about the need for the Mongolian government to shed its direct involvement in the economy, but also the recommendation to rely … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Development, Diversification, Economics, Foreign Investment, JD Mining Governance, Sovereign Wealth Fund | Tagged | 5 Comments

Solutions to the Current Economic Crisis?

Posted on October 8, 2013 by JDierkes

Previously, I have written about economic and political aspects of the challenges currently facing Mongolia. Right now, the economic situation seems a bit like a “wicked problem” or a quagmire, and I see relatively little cause for short-term optimism, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Development, Economics, Foreign Investment, Governance, Inflation, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Policy, Politics | Tagged | 2 Comments