Robert Ritz
writing / about /
2026
  • Mongolian Meat Prices, Seven Years Later
    In 2019 I wrote about Mongolia's meat prices and made some predictions. Seven years of new data later, let's see what happened.
  • Are Mongolian Courts Biased? 75,000 Criminal Cases Say Mostly No
    I analyzed every criminal court decision on Mongolia's judicial database. Employment status, not gender, is the biggest demographic predictor of sentence severity.
2022
  • Do families with more children make less money?
    Using Mongolia's Household Socioeconomic Survey to examine the relationship between number of children and household income.
2021
  • 2021 Wrap-Up: Are Mongolians richer today than in 2011?
    Comparing Mongolian household income brackets and inflation-adjusted wages over 9 years to see if economic progress is real.
  • Which grocery store in Ulaanbaatar is cheapest?
    Analyzing weekly price data from Mongolia's National Statistics Office to compare grocery prices across Ulaanbaatar's markets and supermarkets.
  • What happens if you pay people to get married?
    Mongolia's 2006-2009 cash incentive for marriage tripled the marriage rate, and years later caused a clear spike in divorces.
  • The rent is too darn high. Right?
    Calculating Ulaanbaatar's apartment price-to-income ratio and comparing it to cities like New York and San Francisco.
  • Mongolia is running on fumes
    Analyzing Mongolia's fuel reserve data to understand the 2021 gasoline shortage and project when reserves might recover.
  • Mongolia's $150,000 license plate
    How Mongolia's new license plate auction system saw bids reach $150,000 for the number 0001 in less than three hours.
2020
  • Is Australia's Loss Mongolia's Gain?
    How China's trade spat with Australia created an opportunity for Mongolia to increase its coking coal exports.
  • Mongolian Electoral District Analysis 2020
    Analyzing demographic and economic data across Mongolia's 2020 parliamentary election districts to understand voter diversity.
2019
  • Sqair Air Purifier Real World Test
    A controlled experiment testing the Sqair air purifier's effectiveness at removing PM2.5 pollution from a room in Ulaanbaatar.
  • Mongolian Meat Price Time Series Forecast
    A deep dive into Mongolia's meat prices, examining the roles of exports, animal losses, inflation, and seasonal patterns in driving record prices.
  • The Ethical Matrix of Dzud Forecasting
    Applying an ethical framework to evaluate a livestock mortality index algorithm designed to predict dzud risk across Mongolia's provinces.
  • The Tsagaan Sar Debt Cycle
    Investigating whether Mongolia's lunar new year celebration drives a spike in pension and salary loan issuances each year.
2018
  • Mongolia's Economic Future is Chained to China
    Visualizing Mongolia's export data from 2005-2017 reveals an overwhelming dependence on China as a trading partner.
  • Mongolians are more in debt now than ever
    Analyzing Mongolia's growing debt levels from 2001-2016, with outstanding loans reaching 12.5 trillion MNT amid a construction boom.
2017
  • A first look at Mongolian crime data
    Exploring Mongolia's national crime data through a Google Data Studio dashboard, revealing patterns in crime across the country.
© 2026 • Robert Ritz
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