Category Archives: Politics

EITI in Mongolia at the Tipping Point

Posted on November 26, 2015 by mendee

The EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) is no longer a stranger in the Mongolian resource governance discourses as witnessed at the First National Forum and 5th National Corporate Social Responsibility Forum, both organized in November, 2015.  The debate now focuses … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, EITI, Mining, Mining Governance, Politics, Social Issues | Tagged | Leave a comment

UN Human Rights Council

Posted on November 19, 2015 by JDierkes

I recently wrote about President Elbegdorj’s address to the UN General Assembly this September and his statement that he is seeking UN recognition for Mongolia’s status as “permanently neutral”. Elbegdorj ended this speech with a call for support from other … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, International Relations, Mongolia and ..., UN | Tagged | Leave a comment

Thoughts on Constitutional Reform

Posted on November 11, 2015 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes I am not a constitutional scholar. My observations on the constitutional reform proposals that are being considered by the Mongolian parliament are thus based on my understanding of Mongolian politics on the one hand, and my experience of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aimags, Constitution, Democracy, Foreign Policy, Governance, JD Democratization, Politics | Tagged | 3 Comments

Constitutional Revision

Posted on November 9, 2015 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes It appears that all of a sudden the push for constitutional revision is alive and becoming more concrete with a multi-party submission of a draft in parliament that appears to have the support of 60% of MPs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Aimags, Constitution, Democracy, Governance, International Relations, JD Democratization, Judiciary, Politics | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Contested Politics of the Presidential Veto

Posted on September 16, 2015 by mendee

In August,  parliament (State Ikh Khural) passed two separate amnesty bills: the first provides a one-time amnesty for all unregistered wealth from  criminal investigations and taxation. The other applies to first-time offenders, minors, women with small children and people who haven’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Governance, Judiciary, Law, Party Politics, Politics, Populism | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cabinet Reshuffle

Posted on September 8, 2015 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes Roughly a month after MPP members were kicked out of cabinet, we now appear to have a Saikhanbileg II cabinet forming. Cabinet Composition The new cabinet members are: G Bayarsaikhan (DP), Min of Labour B Bolor (DP), … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic Party, Government, Ikh Khural 2016, Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ulaanbaatar Impressions

Posted on August 31, 2015 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes Yes, another periodic visit to Ulaanbaatar, yes once again too short a visit, but here are some immediate impressions along the lines of observations on previous visits that I noted down: May 2015 | November 2014 | May 2014 … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Curios, Ikh Khural 2016, Politics, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | 2 Comments

Politics in Late Summer 2015

Posted on August 28, 2015 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes I’m about to head to Ulaanbaatar for a very brief visit. While summer is a time of parliamentary recess and Naadam, it has been a bit more eventful than usual with the de facto dissolution of PM … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Foreign Investment, Ikh Khural 2016, JD Democratization, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Politics, Public Opinion | Tagged | Leave a comment

Concrete Information on Corruption Paints Depressing Picture

Posted on July 1, 2015 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes I have written about corruption in various contexts in the past, most recently comparing the context of anti-corruption movements in India and Mongolia. In that post, I wrote that, “Petty corruption, systemic corruption, as well as grand … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Governance, Ikh Khural 2016, JD Democratization, Politics, Public Opinion, Social Issues | Tagged | 2 Comments

Corruption in India: Lessons for Mongolia?

Posted on June 16, 2015 by JDierkes

A Conversation With Asim Arun One of the things I really like about the broad variety of disciplinary academic perspectives on Mongolia that I come in contact with (for example, a lot of the discussions at the recent Oxford Deserts … Continue reading →

Posted in Asim Arun, Corruption, Governance, India, Party Politics, Politics, Social Movements | Tagged | Leave a comment

Guest Post: National Labour Party – Хөдөлмөрийн Үндэсний Нам

Posted on June 10, 2015 by JDierkes

Bulgan Batdorj Since their first forum “National Development – Mongol Person” in February this year, the Development Hun (ХҮН/Hun = person, individual) club expressed its intent of becoming a political force, but had not settled on both type (political movement, … Continue reading →

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Planning for 2016 УИХ Election

Posted on June 8, 2015 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes In June 2016, Mongolians will be voting for a new parliament, the Улсын Их Хурал. Having served as an election observer in the last four national elections, I’m thinking about what activities could be undertaken now to prepare … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Elections, Ikh Khural 2016, JD Democratization, Media and Press, Party Politics | Tagged | 5 Comments

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: 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 →

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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