Preliminary Programme

The current Chinese urbanization processes pose an interesting conundrum. On the one hand they involve a social upheaval of huge dimensions, which although generally considered orderly, at the same time are felt by many to be unfair and divisive. On the other hand, urbanization is closing the gap between rural and urban productivity, reaching the so-called ``Lewis turning point,'' and the contentious household registration system that divided China for six decades is on its way out. In order to understand urbanization in its concrete manifestations it is imperative that we examine how labor, resources, social institutions and political visions intersect. The unprecedented scale, celerity and open-endedness of the urbanization momentum mandate a critical reappraisal of the institutions involved. The contribution will in particular reconceptualize the transformation of agriculture into a modern industry and creation of more fluid urban labor markets. (Show less)

Mongolia's opening-up since the 1990s allowed the foreign actors to shape its economy, with Mongolia on the bottom of the supply chains. Particularly, the growing dependence on China provokes rising concerns of Mongolian public opinion. Structural power over the Mongolian economy influences the instability of the state in various areas. The aim of this paper is to underline an impact of the Sino-Mongolian economic relation on social, political and legal dynamics. Especially, as Mongolia is about to become a part of the Northern Economic Corridor, the bilateral relations become important for the regional connectivity projects. The question is: what will be the role of the Mongolian state in this initiative? (Show less)