Category Archives: Oyu Tolgoi

The story of the discovery of Oyu Tolgoi

Posted on April 4, 2016 by D.Byambajav

By BYAMBAJAV Dalaibuyan Introduction “Friedland came out his helicopter. He had a red jumper and running shoes on. He kissed the land and run straight to the Oyu Tolgoi discovery site.” A local elder told me this story. The date … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining, Oyu Tolgoi | Tagged | 1 Comment

Contract transparency in Mongolian Mining

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Julian Dierkes

 Unbundling contract transparency in the extractive industry: the case of Mongolia – Part I Contract transparency is crucial in ensuring deals in the extractive industry deliver better outcomes for the host nation and community. Civil society has long campaigned for … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, International Agreements, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Social Movements | Tagged | 3 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

Oyu Tolgoi on Track Again

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Julian Dierkes

Last week, this is what I tweeted AUS article abt possible progress on #OyuTolgoi negotiatons (http://t.co/ARV73N2xS6) got me thinking abt analysis for day after agreement. — Julian Dierkes (@jdierkes) May 14, 2015 It looks like the day after is upon … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Foreign Investment, Mining, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Party Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Feeling (Politically) Pessimistic for Coming Year

Posted on February 18, 2015 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 windy early parts … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution, Democracy, Democratic Party, Economics, Elections, Foreign Investment, Governance, Ikh Khural 2016, Inflation, 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 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 the Mining Law … Continue reading →

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

Digital Democracy: PM Saikhanbileg’s Policy Choice SMS Poll

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes This week Prime Minister Ch Saikhanbileg has posed a question to Mongolians on television and he is asking them to reply by SMS. There are examples of direct involvement by the electorate in political decisions, of course … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Governance, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Party Politics, Public Opinion, Social Media, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | 9 Comments

A Personal Wishlist for the Saikhanbileg Government

Posted on December 2, 2014 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 other configuration is … Continue reading →

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

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

Progress on Oyu Tolgoi?

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Julian Dierkes

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, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Russia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Politics During the Current Economic Crisis

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Julian Dierkes

There is no political crisis in the sense of any conflict within parliament or between parliament and the president. Nor are there major scandals at the moment. However, there does appear to be a crisis in the sense of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Development, Economics, Foreign Investment, Governance, Inflation, Mining, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Party Politics, Policy, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Anatomy of the Current Economic Crisis

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Julian Dierkes

Having spent last week in Ulaanbaatar, it is clear to me that the current crisis is a) more severe than I had thought, and b) more real/less perceived than I had thought. Below, I try to list elements in this … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, China, Corruption, Development, Economics, Foreign Investment, Governance, Inflation, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Politics | Tagged | 3 Comments

Mongolia Buffeted by Global Winds

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Julian Dierkes

[For another version of  observations of the current situation in Mongolia, see my piece in the Wall Street Journal Asia on September 13. This piece has been  posted on the World Economic Forum blog as well.] For most of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Development, Foreign Investment, Governance, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bat-Erdene Election Platform

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Julian Dierkes

[This post was researched and co-written by Brian White at The Mongolist blog.] Bat-Erdene’s platform begins similarly to Udval’s by describing challenges facing the country. He does not go as far as Udval in labeling them as “dangers,” but the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Environment, Inequality, Judiciary, Mining, Mongolian People's Party, Oyu Tolgoi, Party Politics, Policy, Presidential 2013, Social Media | Tagged | 1 Comment