Category Archives: Governance

Mongolia-Australia Mining Partnership

During FM Lu Bold’s visit to Australia, there has now been an announcement of a grand “Mining Partnership” between Mongolia and Australia to the tune of A$20m over 5 years. From Julie Bishop, Australian Foreign Minister’s website: Mongolian Foreign Minister … Continue reading

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Здравствуйте!: Why It’s Not about -Stans

By Brandon Miliate I recently came across and article in The Atlantic, which reported that Kazakhstani President  Nursultan Nazarbayev had suggested that perhaps the suffix –stan was responsible for Kazakhstan’s supposedly low global profile. He mentioned Mongolia, as a country … Continue reading

Posted in Central Asia, Democracy, Governance, Inner Asia, International Relations, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and ..., Politics | Tagged | 1 Comment

Subscores: Freedom in the World Report

When the 2014 Freedom in the World report was released on January 23, it came with the following map: At the time I tweeted, “That dot of hopeful green in a see of authoritarian purple is #Mongolia #FIW“. I also … Continue reading

Posted in Corruption, Democracy, Elections, Governance, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | 1 Comment

Results from the Corruption Perception Index 2013

On Dec 3, Transparency International released its annual Corruption Perception Index. Previous Posts Last year, I wrote two blog posts that specifically focused on the CPI score for Mongolia: https://blogs.ubc.ca/mongolia/2012/corruption-transparency-international/ https://blogs.ubc.ca/mongolia/2012/more-on-corruption-in-mongolia-according-to-transparency-international-further-comparisons/ Last weekend, I wrote a post that looked ahead … Continue reading

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Corruption in 2013

The imminent release of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (Dec 3) is as good an occasion to think/write about corruption in Mongolia as any. Of course, it is especially important in the context of the CPI to emphasize that this … Continue reading

Posted in Corruption, Governance, Media and Press, Politics, Public Service, Social Issues | Tagged | 1 Comment

Solutions to the Current Economic Crisis?

Previously, I have written about economic and political aspects of the challenges currently facing Mongolia. Right now, the economic situation seems a bit like a “wicked problem” or a quagmire, and I see relatively little cause for short-term optimism, but … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Development, Economics, Foreign Investment, Governance, Inflation, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mining, Policy, Politics | Tagged | 2 Comments

Politics During the Current Economic Crisis

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

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, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Politics | Tagged | 3 Comments

Mongolia Buffeted by Global Winds

[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, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy | Tagged | Leave a comment

Review of “Mongolia’s State Policy on the Minerals Sector (2013-2024)”

“State Policy on the Minerals Sector (2013-2024),” a document defining the policy framework for the Mongolian minerals sector in the next decade is expected to be discussed at the upcoming autumn session of the State Great Khural. President Elbegdorj decided … Continue reading

Posted in Democracy, Development, Governance, Mining, Mining, Policy, Sovereign Wealth Fund | Tagged | Leave a comment

Failed States Index

The Fund for Peace released its 2013 Failed States Index (FSI) earlier in July 2013 and I’ve included the ranking in our Mongolia Scorecard. Methodology The Failed States Index aims to identify ” pressures [that] are pushing a state towards the brink of … Continue reading

Posted in Democracy, Development, Global Indices, Governance, Inequality, JD Democratization, Politics, Population, Security Apparatus, Social Issues, Social Movements | Tagged | Leave a comment

Elbegdorj Platform

[This post was researched and co-written by Brian White at The Mongolist blog.] Previous posts have offered an overview over the three candidates’ platforms, as well as of their foreign policy goals. Ten days before the election, President Ts Elbegdorj … Continue reading

Posted in Democracy, Democratic Party, Elections, Foreign Policy, Governance, International Relations, Policy, Presidential 2013 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Presidential Election as Test of DP Dominance

The upcoming presidential election will be the first occasion for the DP’s claims to stand for clean government to be tested in an election campaign since the party’s predecessor dominated the 1996-2000 parliament. This will be the first election that … Continue reading

Posted in Corruption, Democracy, Democratic Party, Elections, Governance, JD Democratization, Law, Party Politics, Politics, Presidential 2013, Security Apparatus | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Udval Election Platform

Speculation about some kind of Udval retreat notwithstanding, based on information contributed by and co-written with Brian White at The Mongolist, we discuss Udval’s election platform here. Broad Goals Similar to the other candidates, Minister of Health N Udval intends … Continue reading

Posted in China, Corruption, Elections, Foreign Investment, Governance, Judiciary, Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, Policy, Politics, Presidential 2013, Social Media | Tagged | 1 Comment

New Book: Does Everyone Want Democracy? Insights from Mongolia

Does Everyone Want Democracy? Insights from Mongolia by Paula L.W. Sabloff. Left Coast Press 2013. 266 pp., 282 pp. / 6.00 x 9.00 / Apr, 2013, eBook (978-1-61132-719-9), Hardback (978-1-59874-565-8) Do all people desire democracy? For over a century, the … Continue reading

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