Research

Sustainable Development and Climate Policies in Comparative Perspective, regional focus Asia, in particular China

Nachhaltige Entwicklung und Klimapolitik, Regionalschwerpunkt Asien, speziell V.R. China.

International Cooperation in Theory and Practice

Internationale Zusammenarbeit in Theorie und Praxis

Collaborative and Participatory Governance. From Theory to Practice.  Potentials and Limitations of Multi-Stakeholder Contributions to Policy-making.

Civil Society and NGOs in Theory and Practice

Zivilgesellschaft und NRO in Theorie und Praxis

Human Rights in the Global Context, focus on European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)

Menschenrechte im globalen Kontext , Fokus on EIDHR

Berlin, April 2017

Sustainable Development and Climate Policies in China, LAP Publishers, ISBN: 978-3-330-05869-9

With the election of Donald Trump as President of the USA in November 2016, the promotion of the sustainable development agenda faces new challenges. China has already taken several opportunities to reaffirm its continued support for global agreements on sustainable development and climate change. This compilation of six research notes written by Berthold Kuhn (one co-authored by Zhang Yangyong) sheds light on the potentials and limitations for promoting sustainable development and climate protection in China. Against the backdrop of a strong government and tightened political supervision in many policy areas, the “green development agenda” stands out in providing opportunities for the business community, think tanks and universities as well as nonprofit organisations to implement projects and gradually influence policies in favour of more sustainable economic development in China

Berlin, Dec. 2016

The E-book version of my book "Development Politics between Market and State" (based on my post-doc research 1999-2004) is now online available (FU Berlin e-docs), open access. Campus Publishing House returned the rights to me after 10 years .

Please note that the book is written in German. The Chinese translation is available with Renmin Publishers (2009), still for sale. You find an English summary in the German version on page 372.

Kuhn, Berthold M. Entwicklungspolitik zwischen Markt und Staat. Möglichkeiten und Grenzen zivilgesellschaftlicher Organisationen; Frankfurt a.M., New York (2005), Peking (2009), Berlin (2015)

http://www.diss.fu-berlin.de/diss/receive/FUDISS_thesis_000000103796

Papers based on my research on collaborative governance and sustainable development discourses in China in spring/summer 2016 (UAS supported, research stay at Peking University)

Abstract

The global sustainable development agenda of the United Nations stresses governance and partnerships involving public and private actors as key elements for achieving the sustainable development goals. This paper relates the analysis of the P.R. China’s growing engagement for sustainable development to the concept of collaborative governance. Based on the analysis of literature, policy documents, participation in conferences as well as interviews with experts, it proposes five factors to explain the promising developments of collaborative governance for sustainable development in China: political leadership, discourses, in-country expertise, institutional density and international cooperation. Against the backdrop of a strong government and tightened political supervision in many policy areas under the Xi Jinping administration, Chinese academics as well as practitioners largely agree that the “green development agenda” stands out in providing opportunities for the business community, think tanks and Universities as well as nonprofit organisations to implement projects and gradually influence policies and practices related to the promotion of sustainable development

Recent contributions to books and encyclopedias

2015: Policies, Collaboration and Partnerships for Climate Protection in China, in: Jing,Yijia (ed.): The Road to Collaborative Governance in China, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 71-94: http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/The-Road-to-Collaborative-Governance-in-China/?K=9781137525192

2015:   Im Spannungsfeld zwischen Wissenschaft und Praxis, Dilemmata der Entwicklungspolitik (Dilemmata in Development Cooperation), edited by Netzwerk entwicklungspolitischer Fachleute (Network of Development Cooperation Advisors), Stuttgart: Ibidem-Verlag, 2015, ISBN 978-3-8382-0768-1, pp. 67-76

2015:  „Demokratieindizes“, „Bertelsmann Transformation Index“, „Freedom House Index“ (three entries), Methoden-Lexikon für die Sozialwissenschaften (edited by Rainer Diaz-Bone and Christoph Weischer, ISBN: 978-3-531-16629-2, Print, and 978-3-531-18889-8 Online, http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-531-18889-8, VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden.

Recent papers published in academic journals

2016  Sustainable Development in China,  in: Journal of  

           Sustainable Development 12/2016.

2016 EU China-Cooperation on Human Rights, in:

          Friends of Europe, 11/2016

2016: Collaborative Governance for Sustainable   

           Development in China, in: Open Journal of Political 

           Sciences, 10/2016

2015    “Climate Protection and Civil Society Organisations in

             the P.R. China”, in BBE Europe News 11/2015 –   

             Newsletter  for Engagement and Participation in   

             Europe.

2014    “Climate Protection Governance and Participation in the People’s Republic of China, in ASIEN, The German Journal on Contemporary Asia, Nr. 133, October 2014, pp. 52-71, http://asien.asienforschung.de/asien-133-oktober-2014/

2014    “Against all Odds. Chinas weltpolitischer Aufstieg aus dem Blickwinkel der westlichen Politikwissenschaft,“ (China’s Rise in World Politics from a Political Science Perspective); WeltTrends, Zeitschrift für internationale Politik, Spezial 13, 2014, http://welttrends.de/spezial-13/

2014:    “Capacity Building on Non-Governmental Organisations in China”, with Yangyong Zhang (co-author): http://www.istr.org/ general/custom.asp?page=WP_Muenster (International Society for Third Sector Research, Weltkonferenz, Münster, July 2014, www.istr.org)

2014:   “Survey of Experts on Climate Change Awareness and Public Participation in China.” with Yangyong Zhang (co-author), Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, 1/2014, pp. 177-212; http://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jcca/

Chinas weltpolitischer Aufstieg aus dem Blickwinkel der westlichen Politikwissenschaft, WeltTrends Spezial 13, 2014