Author Archives: Julian Dierkes

About Julian Dierkes

Julian Dierkes is a sociologist by training (PhD Princeton Univ) and a Mongolist by choice and passion since around 2005. He teaches in the Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He toots @jdierkes@sciences.social.

A Walk Down Campaign Street

Posted on June 16, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes I’ve noted before that campaign activities so far seem oddly subdued. That was based on my impression mostly of the urban core of Ulaanbaatar. So, for the weekend, I was able to venture a bit further afield … Continue reading →

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Posted in Elections, Ikh Khural 2024 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Election Talk around Town

Posted on June 14, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes I’ve only been in Ulaanbaatar for a couple of days, but I am having lots of conversations with contacts about the election. As Mendee keeps emphasizing, I may be the person in Ulaanbaatar who is most excited … Continue reading →

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Posted in Elections, Ikh Khural 2024, Politics, Reflection | Tagged | Leave a comment

Guest Post: Political Parties’ Election Platforms on Higher Education

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Orkhon Gantogtokh This review focuses on how 19 political parties and 2 coalitions that submitted their election platforms reflect higher education (university level education) in their platforms, based on comparisons available at iKON and iToim. The analysis includes how … Continue reading →

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Posted in Education, Elections, Higher Education, Ikh Khural 2024, Orkhon Gantogtokh, Party Politics, Politics, Public Policy | Leave a comment

Constituency Competitiveness

Posted on June 10, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes With the men’s European Championship in football about to start, one might ask if any of the constituencies in the election are a “group of death” like Group D in the Euro where Austria, France, the Netherlands … Continue reading →

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Posted in Elections, Ikh Khural 2024, JD Democratization | Tagged | Leave a comment

Guest Post: In Search of New, Clean, and Young Candidates for Politics in Mongolia

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Munkh-Erdene G For over a month, the reality show “Candidate-2024” was filmed, producing eight episodes to introduce new faces to Mongolia’s political landscape. As one of the 100 participants selected from more than 500 applicants, I was a complete … Continue reading →

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Posted in Elections, Ikh Khural 2024, Munkherdene Gantulga, Party Politics, Politics | Leave a comment

Notable Candidates

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes, Marissa J. Smith and Bulgan B Below are some of the notable individual candidates running in the election. “Notable” in this context means individuals who are known to us to have played a prominent role in politics … Continue reading →

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Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Ikh Khural 2024, KhUN, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Incumbents

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes and Marissa J. Smith Incumbency has been a big factor in past elections in Mongolia regardless of (changes to) the electoral system. Given the “choice” of nomination for direct election or the party list, what are incumbents … Continue reading →

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Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Ikh Khural 2024, KhUN, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Women Candidates 2024 Election

Posted on May 28, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes, Bulgan B and Marissa J. Smith Thanks to Marissa Smith‘s initiative, we’re building a table of candidates running in the June 28 parliamentary election. One of the characteristics we included in the table right away is gender. … Continue reading →

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Posted in Democracy, Democratic Party, Elections, Gender, Ikh Khural 2024, KhUN, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Balance of Power in Expanded Parliament

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes The 2019 constitutional amendments were partly aimed at shifting the balance of power toward parliament and cabinet, away from the presidency. For example, the prohibition on the double deel was intended to strengthen the prime minister by … Continue reading →

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Posted in Democracy, Democratic Party, Governance, Ikh Khural 2024, JD Democratization, KhUN, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Guest Post: Will the parties consider what the electorate wants to see on the ballots? There is a TV show for that. 

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By E Lkhagva As far as I can remember I don’t think there has been election coverage in Mongolian democratic history where the public felt there has been enough debates between candidates, real  interviews or fair coverage in general. When … Continue reading →

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Posted in Democratic Party, Ikh Khural 2024, KhUN, Lkhagva Erdene, Media and Press, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Politics, Younger Mongolians | Leave a comment

Expectations of Coming Election

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes With Marissa Smith and D Enkhtsetseg, I have set the stage for the coming parliamentary election in terms of the changes to the electoral system. I have previously offered some thoughts of what these changes might imply … Continue reading →

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Posted in Corruption, Democratic Party, Elections, Foreign Policy, Governance, Ikh Khural 2024, JD Democratization, KhUN, Mining Governance, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Policy, Politics, Public Policy, Social Issues, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | Leave a comment

Self-Guided Travel to Mongolia

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Despite my many visits to Mongolia, I usually do not come for vacation. But, in late July 2023 I spent a week with my brother touring the countryside. Perhaps some of these observations will inform others planning … Continue reading →

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Posted in Change, Countryside, Cuisine, Curios, Tourism | Tagged | Leave a comment

The ONE Challenge

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Because few other people focus much of their attention on Mongolia, I often get asked questions that are more fundamental then I might be on other topics. In a conversation recently, sparked by the state visit of … Continue reading →

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Posted in Corruption, Countryside, Democracy, Demography, Development, Diversification, Economics, Environment, Foreign Policy, Ikh Khural 2024, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mining Governance, Policy, Politics, Public Policy, Reflection, Social Issues | Tagged | Leave a comment

Party Strategies under a Mixed Electoral System in 2024

Posted on December 27, 2023 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Recent constitutional amendments will have a profound impact on the 2024 parliamentary election especially as they will change candidates’ calculus about their nomination. Individuals seeking office or re-election will have the option of attempting to win one … Continue reading →

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Posted in Democratic Party, Ikh Khural 2024, JD Democratization, Mongolian People's Party, National Labor Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Friendship Medal

Posted on November 26, 2023 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes I was awarded a Friendship Medal by Foreign Minister B Battsetseg at a reception commemorating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Mongolia, and also the announcement of an upgrade of the bilateral relationship to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Canada, Reflection, Research on Mongolia | Leave a comment