This article explores the types of actions that are dramatically shaping the formation of the peri-urban economic landscape of the ger areas in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Drawing from numerous interviews and ethnographic fieldwork in and around a bus stop on the northern edge of the city, we trace the experience of two different women who each carve out a life and livelihood on this urban fringe. Examining the types of strategies they employ to secure land and employment, we argue that negotiations, speculation and enactions of relationships are vastly influential in shaping Ulaanbaatar's urban economy from the ground up. Drawing from the anthropology of generative capitalism and the fungibility and heterogeneous nature of money, we discuss how the making of capitalist urban economies in Ulaanbaatar implicates a variety of decisions and materials, perceptions of the state, and local economies of exchange and reciprocity. Central to the shaping of these urban economies, we argue, are emerging moral quandaries and ethics arising out of these entanglements.
AbstractMongolia is a vast landlocked, sparsely populated, country which shares borders with China and Russia. Two decades of democratic government has coincided with rapid cultural, social, environmental and economic change marred by increasing inequality. Addressing the challenges of inequality demands meaningful engagement between state and non-state actors in the emergent democracy of Mongolia. This article focuses on research with Citizens’ Groups, semi-formal grassroots groups involved in community development in ger districts of Ulaanbaatar, the capital city. Drawing on research undertaken in 2017 with members of Citizens’ Groups and employed staff of Non-Government Organizations it explores the interaction between government (in the form of local government or Khoroo) and civil society (in the form of Citizens’ Groups). Data was collected via interviews, focus groups and site visits with over thirty people. Accordingly, the paper continues a focus on emerging community development practices in East Asia, a region both benefiting from and challenged by urbanization from rural to urban settings. The paper concludes that Citizens’ Groups are key to realizing the Government’s commitment to building social capital, social innovation and the social economy. To realize this goal, however further work is required to promote a democratic political culture, expand citizen participation and strengthen co-operation between the State and civil society.
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