Category Archives: Research on Mongolia

A Personal Wishlist for the Saikhanbileg Government

Posted on December 2, 2014 by JDierkes

By Julian Dierkes As we’re anticipating a cabinet to be formed under PM Saikhabileg and it now seems likely that a grand coalition (DP + MPP) or a super coalition (DP + MPP + Justice Coalition + CWGP) or some … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution, Corruption, Democracy, Foreign Policy, Higher Education, JD Democratization, JD Mining Governance, Oyu Tolgoi, Party Politics, Politics, Social Issues | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mongolia – From Sino-Russian Buffer to Conversion Zone

Posted on November 29, 2014 by mendee

Last autumn, Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin made separate visits to Mongolia, met for a tri-lateral (Russia-China-Mongolia) summit in the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe during the leadership summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and dispatched their vice-foreign ministers … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia Pacific Memo, China, Foreign Policy, Mongolia and ..., Russia | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Little Correction to Mr. Enkhsaikhan’s Push for Constitutional Reform

Posted on November 21, 2014 by mendee

By MENDEE Jargalsaikhan Coinciding with the birth of New Prime Minister, Mr. Enkhsaikhan, former Prime Minister and one of the political heavyweights, made an interesting presentation at the research workshop on the “Constitutional Reform” – link. He was sharing his view … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution, Democracy, Governance, Politics, Research on Mongolia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Political Turmoil – November 2014

Posted on November 3, 2014 by JDierkes

This is approximately the third time that the Altankhuyag government seems to have faced serious opposition in parliament as well as in the DP itself. PM Altankhuyag has been surprisingly and impressively skilled at staying in the PM’s position despite … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic Party, JD Democratization, Mongolian People's Party, Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | 4 Comments

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

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

Fellow Mongolia Focus Bloggers Marching Along in Academic Careers

Posted on April 7, 2014 by JDierkes

Congratulations to two Mongolia Focus grad student bloggers! MENDEE Jargalsaikhan passed his comprehensive examinations in Political Science at the Univ of British Columbia last week. The next step for him will be to write and defend a dissertation proposal to … Continue reading →

Posted in Brandon Miliate, Mendee Jargalsaikhan, Research on Mongolia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Book Reviews: Change in Democratic Mongolia

Posted on March 20, 2014 by JDierkes

The edited volume, Change in Democratic Mongolia: Social Relations, Health, Mobile Pastoralism, and Mining has been reviewed in the following academic publications: Morris Rossabi (2013) in Pacific Affairs 86 (3): 642-644. Jeremy Swift (2014) in Nomadic Peoples 18 (1): 152-155. Tjalling … Continue reading →

Posted in Book: Change in Democratic Mongolia, Research on Mongolia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Symposium: Mongolian Responses to Globalization

Posted on January 4, 2014 by JDierkes

Department for Mongolian and Tibetan Studies Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn January 15-17, 2014 Organizer: Ines Stolpe The event is designed as a workshop in order to foster lively discussions on issues and topics concerning contemporary Mongolia – including their historical backgrounds. Our primary goal is … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, Research on Mongolia | Leave a comment

My Sources on Developments in Mongolia

Posted on December 27, 2013 by JDierkes

I am sometimes asked how I keep up with developments in Mongolia from afar. I take that question as a compliment on the quality of the analysis we provide. Social Media Twitter has become an invaluable tool for keeping up … Continue reading →

Posted in Media and Press, Research on Mongolia, Social Media | Tagged | Leave a comment

Visas, Medicine, Education: Feeling Chinese Soft Power in Mongolia

Posted on December 16, 2013 by mendee

China has been gradually increasing its soft power in neighbouring Mongolia, from offers of visa-free travel to access to its medical facilities, and most recently, growing educational opportunities in China for Mongolians. These policies have gone far in diminishing deep-seated … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia Pacific Memo, China, International Relations, Publications | Tagged | 1 Comment

Subscribing to Mongolia Focus Updates

Posted on December 14, 2013 by JDierkes

We’ve posted over 250 updates to this blog in the past 2 1/2 years. Any volunteers out there to edit a compilation? 😉 You’ve asked frequently about notifications for new posts recently. All along, I’ve tweeted about new posts @jdierkes and … Continue reading →

Posted in Research on Mongolia, Social Media | Tagged | Leave a comment

November 22 Event in Vancouver: Canada-Mongolia Relations

Posted on November 8, 2013 by JDierkes

Program on Inner Asia Institute of Asian Research UBC Friday, November 22, 2013 17:30-19h UBC Robson Square, Room C400 On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Canada-Mongolia Diplomatic Relations Canada-Mongolia Relations and Mongolian Foreign Policy Introduction Tobin ROBBINS Honorary … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Events, Mongolia and ..., Research on Mongolia, UBC Mongolia Lecture Series | Tagged | Leave a comment

My Governor General’s Medallion

Posted on October 29, 2013 by JDierkes

It is a bit embarrassing to toot my own horn in this way, but the Rt Hon David Johnston awarded me a Governor General’s Medallion at the Friends of Canada reception on Oct 26 2013. During the award, the following … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Curios, Governor General's Visit 2013, Research on Mongolia | 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