Category Archives: Policy

Guest Post: Erdenet Update 100%, Again Contested

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Marissa Smith At the close of the fall session of the Ikh Khural, Mongolia’s Parliament, the body voted to invalidate the sale of the 49% shares of Erdenet carried out in summer 2016, which transferred the ownership of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Erdenet, Marissa Smith, Mining, Mining, Mining Governance, Policy, Politics | 3 Comments

Guest Post: Label of Erdenet ‘Nationalization’ Misleading

Posted on February 18, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Marissa Smith Many Fear Mongolian Government Decision Heralds Another Privatization, Securing of the Status Quo Possible Last week during an extra session after the final day of its fall session, Mongolia’s Parliament voted that the state acquire the share … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Corruption, Erdenet, Marissa Smith, Mining, Mining Governance, Policy | 21 Comments

What if Mongolia Went All-Organic?

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes I recently re-tweeted an ADB tweet about one of their blog posts, “The Foreseeable Future of Mongolia’s Agriculture” So important to note that “#Mongolia’s agriculture […] is organic, less polluted” thus huge, high-value potential in East Asia.#yummy … Continue reading →

Posted in Cashmere, Countryside, Development, Environment, Grassland, Infrastructure, Policy, Policy, Public Policy, Regulation, Tourism | Tagged | 5 Comments

Speculation Surrounding Erdenet Sale

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes A Massive Privatization Coup Right Before an Election? It seemed odd that there was an announcement just before the June 29 election that the 49% portion of the longtime engine of Mongolian development, Erdenet mine, that was … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Erdenet, Ikh Khural 2016, Mining, Mining Governance, Policy | Tagged | 7 Comments

Let’s Imagine a Rosy MPP Future

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Just a quick reminder that I don’t dabble in Mongolian (party) politics, I just try to analyze political development, including parties and elections. In these analyses I try to stay as neutral and detached as I can. … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Ikh Khural 2016, Inequality, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Policy, Politics, Public Policy, Public Service, Younger Mongolians | Tagged | 2 Comments

Future of the DP?

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes A crushing defeat like the one that the DP suffered on June 29 should lead to some party-soul searching. More than two months after the election, I can only imagine that questions about the future of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic Party, Foreign Policy, Ikh Khural 2016, Inequality, Party Politics, Policy, Politics, Presidential 2017, Public Policy, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | Leave a comment

Did (Any of) My Saikhanbileg Wishes Come True?

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes In December 2014 when the first Saikhanbileg cabinet had been formed, I wrote a personal wishlist of actions I was hoping that cabinet might take. J Erdenebat was the finance minister in that cabinet. All the more … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Democracy, Democratic Party, Education, Foreign Policy, Ikh Khural 2016, Mining, Party Politics, Policy, Policy, Politics, Public Policy, Public Service | Tagged | Leave a comment

Guest Post: State Participation in Resources Projects

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Julian Dierkes

By Unurjargal U The State’s Role in Large Resource Projects The appropriate forms for state participation in mining sector – a sensitive issue in Mongolia. The Canadian International Mineral Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI) organized a cooperation conference with the … Continue reading →

Posted in CIRDI, Mining, Mining, Mining Governance, Policy, Unurjargal Urjin | Leave a comment

Resource Nationalism?

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes One of the dominant foreign views of Mongolian politics is that they’re rife with “resource nationalism”. This perspective is reproduced in many conversations with people in the mining or financial industry and is often repeated by visiting … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign Investment, Mining, Mongolia and ..., Nationalism, Policy, Politics, Populism, Social Movements | Tagged | 4 Comments

Learning about Development Policy in Uvs Aimag

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Julian Dierkes

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 Julian Dierkes

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, 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 →

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

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