1st Edition

Mongolia in Transition Old Patterns, New Challenges

By Ole Bruun, Ole Odgaard Copyright 1997
    260 Pages
    by Routledge

    284 Pages
    by Routledge

    Squeezed between powerful neighbours, for decades Mongolia played the role of buffer state. Its full independence in 1990 offered new opportunities for both economic growth and the restoration of Mongolian identity. But with a huge land area, poor infrastructure and a small population, the new republic is highly vulnerable and also dependent on international support.
    This book provides easily accessible information for developers, planners, consultants, scholars, students and others with an interest in contemporary Mongolia. Prefaced by a general overview of the land and society, its chapters, all written by international experts, cover a wide range of topics, including foreign policy, domestic politics, local government structure, living standards and poverty, women in society, grassland management, the common herding household, and science and technology policy. A comprehensive bibliography is provided.

    Introduction: Climbing out of the Black Hole; The Mongols, Their Land and History; A Society and Economy in Transition; Sustainable Livestock Use of Pastoral Resources; The Herding Household: Economy and Organization; Nomadic Cultural Values and Their Influence on Modernization; Living Standards and Poverty; Women and Poverty during the Transition; Constitutional Reform and Human Rights; Decentralization and Local Governance; Science and Technology Policy; Foreign Relations and Foreign Policy; Afterword: Consolidating Independence

    Biography

    Ole Bruun is Associate Professor at Copenhagen University's Department of Anthropology. Until recently, he was a research fellow at the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies in Copenhagen. Ole Odgaard is a Head of Section at DANIDA (Danish International Development Assistance). From 1992 to 1995, Dr. Odgaard was stationed in Beijing, where he was in charge of provision of Danish development aid to Mongolia.