Month: May 2022

The first Provincial Competitiveness Forum was held for a group of 60 representatives from Mongolia’s 21 provinces on October 8-9, 2014 at Terelj’s UB-2 Hotel. The event included governors, chairpersons of citizen representatives’ khurals, and heads of chambers of commerce and industry.

The forum, organized by the Economic Policy and Competitiveness Research Center (EPCRC) and supported by the Konrad Adeneuer Foundation, was intended to discuss results of the 2012 and 2013 editions of a Provincial Competitiveness Report published by the EPCRC, and to discuss options for improving provincial competitiveness in Mongolia.

The EPCRC’s Chairman, Mr.Tsagaan.P opened the event, delivering a speech highlighting the importance of the report, and encouraging open and frank discussion amongst representatives on ways to address current regional competitiveness issues.The keynote speaker was prominent German economist Professor Hans-Rimbert Hemmerm, who shared his own experiences of the decision-making process during decentralization, and how to better promote regional development.

Other presentations included a macro-economic outlook and trends for 2015 from EPCRC Director, Lakshmi.B, an update on the legal status of towns and villages presented by Living Environment and Green Development Policy Advisor to the President of Mongolia, Erkhembayar.L, and a discussion on how to best interpret formal statistical methods by representatives from the National Statistical Office (NSO).

The setting provided the unique opportunity for inter-regional discussion between local authorities on how to work together in assessing regional development policy and cooperation, strategy and planning. The forum concluded with a number of recommendations on how best to proceed with this issue.

Fourth annual provincial competitiveness survey released on March 30^th, 2016 during Mongolia Economic Forum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia by The Economic Policy and Competitiveness Research Center (EPCRC) and The Asia Foundation. Conducted in 2015, the survey ranks and compares Mongolia’s 21 provinces (aimags) to show their respective strengths and weaknesses. Since 2012, the Mongolia Provincial Competitiveness Survey has provided valuable data to inform the decisions and strategies of policymakers and businesses. It uses 180 criteria to rank Mongolia’s provinces in four main categories: economic performance, governance efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure. The survey combines general and statistical data with the results of questionnaires distributed to the private sector by the EPCRC in collaboration with local chapters of the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry in each province. EPCRC, with generous support from The Asia Foundation, has created a website, www.aimagindex.mn, which displays findings from all four years of the survey online in both Mongolian and English. Visitors can compare economic competitiveness data between all 21 provinces using easy-to-read graphs and tables. By making the information easily accessible to all, the survey and website enhance transparency and provide an important tool for evidence-based advocacy and policy analysis. The Mongolia Provincial Competitiveness Survey also promotes public-private dialogue between the private sector and provincial authorities, and helps them identify ways to improve the local business environment.