The development of political science in Mongolia

Abstract

The aim of this article is to review the development of political science, as an academic discipline, in Mongolia. The article is composed of the following parts: The first part provides an overview of Mongolia’s de jure recognition as an Inner Asian “buffer state” in the early Cold War era. The second part describes the Communist ideological disciplines (such as scientific socialism) that were used to study politics and political systems in Mongolia during the Cold War era. The third part presents the process of democratization in post-1990 Mongolia, and its impact on the development of political science. The fourth part examines the focus points of contemporary Mongolian political science, presents the profiles of pioneering scholars, and describes the institutional changes, academic departments, professional associations, and doctoral degree councils in this field. Finally, the fifth part introduces the currently active Mongolian political scientists, their social environment, and their research fields. The conclusion of the article examines the prospects of political science development in Mongolia.