ZEU - Zentrum für internationale Entwicklungs- und Umweltforschung

Dauerhafte URI für den Bereich

jlupub.ub.uni-giessen.de/handle/jlupub/101

Stöbern nach

Auflistung ZEU - Zentrum für internationale Entwicklungs- und Umweltforschung nach Auflistung nach Fachbereich/Einrichtung "Zentren"

Gerade angezeigt 1 - 20 von 63
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Consumer attitudes towards food safety risks associated with meat processing
    (2001) Schroeter, Christiane
    A focus group study with 37 residents of Manhattan, Kansas, was conducted to examine consumers risk perceptions of foodborne illnesses from beef. The four focusgroup sessions were designed to determine (1) relative preferences for alternative combinations of public food safety (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), carcass pasteurization, irradiation) and private protection (home preparation of rare, medium, and well-done hamburgers); (2) how who is at risk (children vs. adults) influences preferences; (3) whether consumers would pay a premium for the higher levels of product safety arising from the adoption of three different innovations in processing plants; and (4) how to improve risk communication about foodborne illnesses and ways to protect against them. Although participants seemed aware of many food safety practices, misinformation and misconception also were found. The majority of the participants preferred well-done, steam-pasteurized or medium, irradiated hamburgers. For a 5-year-old child, the majority chose well-done, steampasteurized or well-done, irradiated hamburgers. Concerning willingness-to-pay, the majority of the participants preferred steam-pasteurized ground beef to regular ground beef when both were priced equally. Results indicated that new technologies available for food safety interventions provided a marginal value to participants. Participants also expressed a need for more information.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Datenbasierte Indikatoren für potenziell abweichendes Interviewerverhalten
    (2011) Storfinger, Nina; Opper, Marie
    Die Datenqualität in Umfragedaten kann in vielen Fällen durch abweichendes Verhalten der Interviewer beeinträchtigt sein. Eine Fälschung liegt dann vor, wenn der Interviewer den kompletten Fragebogen oder Teile davon nicht erfragt, sondern die Antwort selbst produziert d.h. fälscht. Gefälschte Interviews können sich dabei in vielen statistischen Eigenschaften von echten Daten unterscheiden. Eine Methode, die diese Unterschiede ausnutzt, um die Aufdeckung der Fälschungen in Umfragedaten zu erleichtern, ist die Verwendung von sogenannten Indikatoren. Deren Berechnung basiert ausschließlich auf den erhobenen Umfragedaten und den im Fragebogen enthaltenen Fragetypen. Unter Berücksichtigung verschiedener Annahmen über die Fälschungsstrategien der Interviewer, wird in einem ersten Schritt gezeigt, wie sich eine Fälschung der verschiedenen Fragetypen in den Daten zeigt. In einem zweiten Schritt soll dann die Berechnung und Verwendung der daraus resultierenden Indikatoren bzw. Maßzahlen erläutert werden.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Debris flows at the river Mletis Khevi and its assessment methods
    (2007) Gavardashvili, Givi; Schäfer, Michael; King, Lorenz
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Detection and visualisation of climate trends in China
    (2003) Gemmer, Marco; Becker, Stefan; Jiang, Tong
    Monthly precipitation and temperature trends of 160 stations in China from 1951-2002 have been analysed and interpolated. The Mann-Kendall trend test was applied to examine the monthly precipitation data. Significant positive and negative trends at the 90, 95 and 99% confidence levels were detected for numerous stations. The number, distribution and direction of the trends varied from month to month. The detected trends were spatially interpolated by applying the Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation method. The spatial illustration of the detected precipitation and temperature trends enables a better understanding of climatic changes or variations in China within the last 50 years. This counts especially for the spatial structure of the trends. An agglomeration of precipitation trends can be observed in certain months including distinct trend belts especially in east and north-east China. Nevertheless, positive as well as negative trends can be noted simultaneously in each month. Negative precipitation trends are often followed by positive trends for the same area during the next month.In the meantime positive temperature trends can be detected in north, north-east and west China. They can be visualised for large regions in every month and explain a warming trend of northern and western China. Negative temperature trends can only be found from October-December with a relatively limited spatial distribution. The spatial interpolation of precipitation and temperature trend analysis results appears to be an adequate measure to give an understanding of the regional character of trends in China.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Determinants of foreign direct investment of OECD countries 1991-2001
    (2005) Gast, Michael
    Using a fixed-effects panel data approach, FDI flows of 22 OECD countries are explained by gravity equations over the period 1991-2001. It is distinguished between all available observations, Intra-EU25 observations only, and observations not belonging to the EU25 area in order to control for EU-specific effects. Regressions are repeated with exports as dependent variable in order to capture diverging influences for trade flows. Changes in total market size and relative market size are important factors that lead both FDI and exports in the same direction. However, relative market size is only significant in the FDI equation when variation between the EU25 area and other investment is taken into account, thus indicating a concentration of FDI within Western and Central Europe. Stock market booms boost FDI but not exports. Differences in significance levels/signs of coefficients of political indicators and exchange rate changes indicate that exports are demand-driven while FDI is supply-driven. Year dummies interacted with country distance show that, overall, FDI and exports tended to flow less to distant countries over the period under consideration. However, this trend is reversed for exports within the EU25 area.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Determinants of primary school enrollment in Haiti and the Dominican Republic
    (2011) Gönsch, Iris
    Education is considered an important means of alleviating poverty and of improving an individual´s job and earnings prospects. Nevertheless, in Haiti and the Dominican Republic school enrollment is far from complete and shows notable regional variation. This paper analyzes determinants of primary school enrollment and investigates to what extent differences in schooling are due to individual factors compared to family or community influences. Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for the two countries for two years each, logistic multilevel regression techniques are applied and the heterogeneity of the data sets is quantified using the median odds ratio (MOR). Results support earlier studies that identify the age of a child and family wealth as some of the most important explanatory variables. Combined with detailed descriptive analysis of the enrollment behavior, late enrollment is recognized as an important driver of low overall participation rates. Other influence factors do not have the same importance in both countries. The MOR indicates that educational enrollment status is determined to a relevant extent by household and community level characteristics and suggests an increase in importance of these higher levels over time.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Different background - similar strategies : recruitment in Tanzanian-African and Tanzanian-Asian companies
    (2010) Egbert, Henrik; Fischer, Gundula; Bredl, Sebastian
    The literature on enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa provides evidence that there are significant differences between companies run by members of the majority population and those run by members of minorities. Differences are frequently related to size, age, and certain success indicators. However, it remains unclear whether decisions concerning the acquisition of personnel also diverge. This paper outlines results of a questionnaire survey on recruitment methods of enterprises in Tanzania. The authors tried to discover differences in the recruitment strategies of Tanzanian-African and Tanzanian-Asian companies but found none. The interpretation is that companies operate in similar business environments and face comparable, exogenously given institutional restrictions. Thus, strategies of personnel recruitment seem to be alike.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Do German exporters PTM? : Searching for right answers in sugar confectionery exports
    (2013) Fedoseeva, Svetlana
    Pricing-to-market (PTM) evidence in German sugar confectionery exports is examined, combining the original fixed-effects model of Knetter (1989) and an errorcorrection specification (ECM) at three frequency levels, to assess how neglecting time-series properties and the choice of frequency affect the outcomes. In order to ensure validity of unit values as price proxies, the type of competition with every destination market is evaluated, proving price-driven competition with Canada, Sweden, the UK and the US, but not with Switzerland. Results show that fixed-effect model findings of PTM might be spurious, if time-series properties of the data are not considered. German exporters seem to exploit their market power and adjust their markups to protect market shares in strategically important expanding destinations. Local currency price stabilization (LCPS) was found for Canada and the UK, while LCPS for the exports to US in fixed-effects model turned out to be an erroneous result, as cointegration was rejected. Data of the higher frequency was suggested to be preferable for PTM studies, once measurement error due to heterogeneity is minimized. Finally, using marginal costs estimates from a fixed-effects model as cost proxies in the ECM improves the quality of the model and reveals a higher degree of PTM.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Does the availability of secondary schools increase primary schooling? : Empirical evidence from northern Senegal
    (2013) Gönsch, Iris
    When parents in Senegal decide upon primary school enrollment of their children, they might consider future returns to education. These future benefits in turn heavily depend on a child's prospects to attend secondary school. If private returns to primary schooling are very low and secondary schooling is costly but yields higher returns, the incentive to send children to primary school might be low for poor families. Based on a new household survey from urban and rural northern Senegal, this paper reassesses the puzzling results of Filmer (2007) according to which the availability of secondary schools does not affect primary school participation in Senegal. The empirical results confirm that secondary school availability does not play a role for the average child. Distance to the next secondary school matters only for the two highest wealth quintiles. Instead, the availability of primary schools and household wealth are important determinants of primary school enrollment. To shed further light on this surprising result, the paper discusses various reasons why the distance to the nearest secondary school might not be a very good proxy of a child s prospect of secondary school attendance.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Dos miradas sobre el espacio público en Cartagena (Colombia) y Quito (Ecuador) : de componente relevante conceptualmente pero relegado en la práctica a instrumento central de gestión urbana
    (2015) Vergara, Adrián; Gierhake, Klaus
    Der öffentliche Raum lateinamerikanischer Städte kann als ein Konfliktfeld verstanden werden, in dem viele Akteure und deren Interessen zusammentreffen, und die dann auch die strukturellen Probleme der Stadt reflektiert. Bisherige Studien zeigen unterschiedliche Tendenzen der Nutzung öffentlichen Raumes: eine schleichende Privatisierung; ein auf funktionelle Aspekte reduzierter Raum, entweder ein Umfeld für Freiheit oder eines für Kontrolle, oder auch für Machtdemonstration und Artikulation von Widerstand. Die Interpretation als Instrument zur Umsetzung transversaler Politik ist sehr jungen Datums. An den Beispielen von Cartagena (Kolumbien) und Quito (Ecuador) werden Entwicklungstendenzen diskutiert. Beide Städte gehören dem UNESCO Programm "Kulturerbe der Menschheit" an, beide verfügen über ein sehr gut erhaltenes koloniales Zentrum, eine historisch gewachsene Zentralität, damit im Prinzip über eine hervorragende Ausgangssituation, um auf der Basis "öffentlichen Raum" eine neue Ausrichtung der Stadtentwicklung zu erarbeiten. Für die Stadtverwaltung stellt sich nun die Herausforderung, neue Interaktionsmöglichkeiten zu schaffen. Dieser Prozess wurde in Quito zwischen 2009 - 2014 weit vorangebracht, mit den Kulturprogrammen, dem kommunalen Fahrrad und den Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung der Sicherheit für die Bevölkerung ein fühlbares Niveau räumlichen Zusammenhaltes geschaffen. Dieses stellt die Basis zur Entwicklung eines städtischen Beziehungskapitals dar. Mit diesem Verständnis des öffentlichen Raumes, Bestandteil von fünf der sieben Entwicklungsachsen der Metropolitanplanes, und des Kolonialen Zentrums, Bestandteil aller Sektorpläne, wird eine neue Struktur der Raumplanung geschaffen, eine Art ergänzender Koordinierungsinstrument auf der Mikro-Ebene räumlicher Planung entwickelt. Einen solchen Prozess kann man in Cartagena nicht beobachten. Die Ziele des metropolitanen Entwicklungsplanes sind deutlich ungenauer, nur sektorspezifisch formuliert. Es dominieren Elemente von Management und Kontrolle. Darüber hinaus ist die Entwicklung des Kolonialen Zentrums ein mehr oder weniger isolierter Planungsbereich. Es gibt keine spezifische Politik für den Umgang mit dem öffentlichen Raum. Innerhalb der vier Entwicklungsachsen der Stadt, werden Koloniales Zentrum und öffentlicher Raum nur indirekt erwähnt.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Education for all and for life? : An introduction into primary school education in Senegal
    (2011) Gönsch, Iris; Graef, Steffen
    Generally, school participation in Senegal has achieved a lot of progress in recent years. However, several problems remain to be tackled for further improvement. Still, too many children never attend a school. An even more severe problem is the high rate of drop outs, especially when it comes to the transition from primary to secondary school. Here, the national grade six exam, higher costs of schooling and still limited availability of secondary schools are the main barriers. As a result, only a fraction of children completes the ten years of compulsory schooling which is considered necessary to have superior job perspectives. Another issue regarding absenteeism or incomplete formal schooling is the popularity of Quranic education in Senegal. Many parents prioritize religious (esp. Quranic) studies and do not want their children to attend a formal school. In many cases, those who try to combine formal and religious schooling sooner or later have to decide on whether to drop one or the other. Despite the existence of differences between rural and urban milieus no substantial gender disparity can be observed at the primary school level. At the secondary school level, however, girls education perspectives worsen so that completion of ten years of schooling is even less likely for girls than for boys. While the quantity of enrolled children has undoubtedly risen during the past years, the development of school quality is more ambiguous. Many school buildings are in a bad condition and pedagogical material is often lacking or hardly usable. After the summer holidays many school facilities face damages due to heavy rainfalls which lead to delayed starts and many schools cannot afford the maintenance costs. The quality of classes itself suffers from too big class sizes, multigrade classes and irregular attendance of pupils. In summary it can be stated that primary school education in Senegal has achieved some noticeable improvements. However, high drop out rates and rivalry with Quranic schooling lead to a low percentage of students with completed secondary education or higher. Since it is expected that formal schooling only pays off in economic terms after at least ten years of education, the achievement of a higher share of students with completed secondary school should be a reasonable task. The purpose of further study will thus be to shed more light on some of the reasons preventing school enrollment and completion. One task will consist in identifying the reasons why many children are never enrolled in school. The research project will proceed with a household survey in the region of Saint-Louis. This region nearly reflects average educational figures of the whole country and is very diverse regarding geographical conditions, population density and economic activity of the population. Data from this survey will allow to disentangle the role of supply and demand sides. According to our expectations and impressions gained from the qualitative field work, even in areas where public schools are available and accessible, not all children are enrolled in school. For this group, parents might not see the benefit of attending formal school or might favor rival activities such as work or attendance of a religious school. A related question is whether school enrollment then depends primarily on household characteristics. Families of a certain educational level and of specific professions could be more prone to sending their children to school. On the other hand, there seems to be heterogeneity within households. We will have to study why some children attend school while their siblings do not. Reasons for the higher drop out rates of girls will also be subject to further study.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Efficiency wages and negotiated profit-sharing under uncertainty
    (2009) Göcke, Matthias
    In this contribution a very simple model of profit sharing as an entrepreneurial instrument to create incentive-based productivity effects was presented. If efficiency gains result, a remuneration contract including shared profits as a premium pay in addition to the market wage is Pareto-superior: By sharing the efficiency gains, both parties, the firm and the worker, are better off compared to a standard wage regime. Furthermore, the efficiency gains due to sharing profits may result in stimulation of labour demand and employment, since the firm´s costs are reduced - though the worker receives a higher overall compensation. However, the focus of this paper is to combine efficiency effects of profit sharing with the impact of an option value which is based on the expected variation of stochastic future profits, if a long-term profit sharing scheme is ex-ante determined. An optimal remuneration policy was presented for two scenarios: First, the firm unilaterally offers a premium based on sharing profits in order to maximise the firm´s profits, and second, a bilateral Nash bargaining solution was computed. In both cases option value effects have to be considered by the firm when permanently determining an optimal instrumental level of the profit sharing ratio given to the worker. The inclusion of expected future revenue variations results in a lower worker´s profit sharing ratio - since a larger variation of revenue implies a higher redistribution of profits from firm to worker if a positive revenue change will occur in the future. In the case of a favourable future revenue development very high profits must be shared with the workers. In contrast, negative future outcomes are truncated, since future losses will not be shared because the firm uses its option to fire a worker in a loss situation, and since the worker has the option to leave the firm and to work elsewhere for the standard market wage. This is anticipated by the firm and results in a lower worker´s sharing ratio which the firm is willing to fix in a long-term wage contract if the sharing ratio is ex-ante determined and held constantly over a period of time.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Efficiency-enhancing effects of private and collective enterprises in transitional China
    (2002) Bischoff, Ivo
    Private and collective enterprises are expected to increase overall efficiency in transitional China, partly because they are more efficient than state owned enterprises. More importantly, this paper argues, they induce efficiency gains in state owned enterprises and the economy as a whole. Empirical evidence from 28 Chinese provinces between 1993 and 1998 gives support to this hypothesis by showing that the activity levels of private enterprises and rural collective enterprises have a positive effect on regional labor productivity.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Der Einfluss der Globalisierung auf staatliche Handlungsspielräume und die Zielverwirklichungsmöglichkeiten gesellschaftlicher Gruppen
    (2001) Bohnet, Armin; Schratzenstaller, Margit
    Deutschland ist mit seiner traditionell exportorientierten Volkswirtschaft eine derjenigen Regionen der Weltwirtschaft, die in die zunehmende internationalen Verflechtung besonders stark eingebunden sind. In der wirtschaftstheoretischen und -politischen Literatur und noch mehr in der interessierten Öffentlichkeit ist umstritten, ob dieses wirtschaftliche Zusammenwachsen Deutschlands mit der übrigen Welt insgesamt vorteilhaft ist. Unterschiedliche Bewertungen der Globalisierung dürften vor allem darauf zurückzuführen sein, dass es unter den Betroffenen der Globalisierung sowohl Gewinner als auch Verlierer gibt. Objektive Einschätzungen werden darüber hinaus dadurch erschwert, dass die aus kurzer Sicht feststellbaren Verlierer langfristig durchaus zu Gewinnern werden können und umgekehrt. Häufig wird die These vertreten, dass in einer globalisierten Weltwirtschaft mit wachsender Faktormobilität die Wirksamkeit der traditionellen wirtschaftspolitischen Instrumente grundlegend beschnitten und die Handlungsfähigkeit des Nationalstaates selbst eingeschränkt wird. Darüber hinaus sehen auch viele an der wirtschaftspolitischen Diskussion und an der Konzeption und Durchführung wirtschaftspolitischer Maßnahmen beteiligte Gruppen durch die Globalisierung ihre ureigenen Interessen bedroht. Mögliche individuelle, gruppenbezogene oder auch gesamtwirtschaftliche Wohlfahrtsgewinne aus der Globalisierung finden dagegen zumeist weit weniger Beachtung. Ziel des vorliegenden Beitrags ist es, den Einfluss der Globalisierung insbesondere auf steuer- und sozialpolitische Handlungsspielräume des Staates und in der Konsequenz auf die Zielverwirklichungsmöglichkeiten verschiedener gesellschaftlicher Gruppen herauszuarbeiten. Dazu werden zunächst Indikatoren für die zunehmende Verflechtung Deutschlands mit der übrigen Welt identifiziert und quantifiziert. In einem politischökonomischen Ansatz werden dann die Konsequenzen sich verändernder steuer- und sozialpolitischer Rahmenbedingungen aus Sicht unterschiedlicher sozio-ökonomischer Gruppen ermittelt.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Die Entscheidungen des "Dispute-Settlement"-Verfahrens der WTO im Hormonstreit zwischen der EU und den USA : Implikationen für den zukünftigen Umgang mit dem SPS-Abkommen
    (2001) Kramb, Marc Christopher
    In diesem Beitrag sollen Auswirkungen des neuen Regelwerkes einschließlich seines Überwachungssystems auf Basis des in der Öffentlichkeit kontrovers diskutierten Hormonstreites erörtert und die Auswirkungen auf den Umgang mit der neuen Welthandelsordnung diskutiert werden. Im zweiten Abschnitt wird ein möglicher Erklärungsansatz für die Etablierung eines institutionellen Rechtssystems unter der Berücksichtigung von möglichen negativen Auswirkungen auf das einzelne Gruppenmitglied geliefert. Anschließend wird die WTO-Verfassung mit ihrem neuen Streitschlichtungsverfahren und dem Abkommen über gesundheitspolizeiliche Maßnahmen und dem dort zur Zeit aktuellen Streitfall über hormonbehandeltes Rindfleisch skizziert. Im vierten Kapitel werden die Auswirkungen der in diesem Zusammenhang bereits gefällten Entscheidungen innerhalb der WTO sowohl auf den weiteren Umgang mit gesundheitspolizeilichen Maßnahmen als auch auf den zukünftigen Umgang mit dem Rechtssystem der WTO diskutiert. In einem Ausblick sollen abschließend die möglichen ökonomischen Folgen eines Scheiterns der in der WTO verankerten neuen regelorientierten Handelspolitik wiedergegeben werden.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Die Erwärmung bodennaher Luftschichten in Zentralasien : Zur Problematik der Bestimmung von Trends und Langzeitkorrelationen
    (2005) Mossig, Ivo; Rybski, Diego
    Mit der Bestimmung des Trendwertes bezüglich der Klimaerwärmung in Zentralasien in der jüngeren Vergangenheit anhand herkömmlicher Verfahren der Zeitreihenanalyse (gleitende Mittelwerte, Regressionsanalysen) sind zwei zentrale Probleme verbunden: Das erste Problem betrifft die Festlegung des Anfangs- und Endzeitpunktes der Regressionsanalyse. Es wurde gezeigt, dass eine Verschiebung des betrachteten Zeitschnittes um wenige Jahre zu erheblich veränderten Trendwerten führen kann. Je kürzer der gewählte Zeitschnitt ist und je weniger Messwerte zur Bestimmung einer Regressionsgeraden einbezogen werden, desto stärker wird der Trendwert durch extreme Werte an den Anfangs- und Endzeitpunkten beeinflusst. Die Wahl des betrachteten Zeitschnittes hat daher sachlogisch begründet zu sein, z.B. anhand des Beginns einer veränderten Gletscherschmelze oder veränderter Abflussmengen der Flüsse mit Gletscherspeisung. Zusätzlich sollten die Trendwerte für benachbarte Anfangs- und Endzeitpunkte berechnet werden, um extreme Ergebnisse durch ungünstig gewählte Zeitpunkte zu identifizieren. Zweitens tritt das Problem der Langzeitkorrelationen innerhalb der Zeitreihen auf. Die einzelnen Messwerte der betrachteten Temperaturzeitreihen sind demnach nicht unabhängig voneinander, sondern werden noch von weit zurück reichenden Werten beeinflusst. Erhebliche Abweichungen vom langfristigen Mittelwert können dadurch entstehen und leicht als Trend fehlinterpretiert werden. Die Korrelationsstruktur innerhalb einer Zeitreihe ist daher bei einer Trendbestimmung unbedingt zu beachten.
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    Espacio Público en Latinoamérica : de la fragmentación espacial y la segregación social hacia la cohesión territorial ; nuevos retos a viejos problemas
    (2015) Vergara, Adrián; Gierhake, Klaus; Jardón, Carlos; Hernández Garcia, Jaime; Vidal, Alberto; Carranza, Eric
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
  • Vorschaubild
    Item
    The EU strategy for Central Asia and Kyrgyzstan foreign policy
    (2010) Momosheva, Nazira
    Over the last two years the European Union has changed its attitude towards the countries of Central Asia. The EU has strengthened its relationship with the region since the adoption of The EU and Central Asia: Strategy for a New Partnership by the European Council in June 2007. The strategy aims to strengthen relations in all spheres of cooperation. The objectives of the new strategy are reinforcement of political dialogue through regular meetings of EU and Central Asian Foreign Ministers, reinforcement of dialogue on human rights, cooperation in the areas of education, rule of law, advancement of trade and economic relations, energy, transport, environment, water as well as joint activities against common threats and challenges. The strategy is supported by a significant increase in EU assistance. For Kyrgyzstan, as one of the Central Asian countries, the presence in world politics is only possible through the participation in the international organizations on the global and regional level. The current geopolitical situation requires a balanced relationship with countries in near and far abroad and a well-adjusted policy of between different poles of influence. To support and advance its national interests at the sub-regional (Central Asia), regional (within the CIS, European and Asian areas) and global (via the system of international organizations) levels, Kyrgyzstan conducts targeted, multi-balanced foreign policy. The initiatives and activities commensurate with the real political and economic capabilities and the degree of involvement in international policy processes. In recent years the importance of the economic dimension of foreign policy has increased. This is connected with the objective to contribute to reforms and economic stabilization in the country and strengthen its position in foreign markets. The international relations of Kyrgyzstan traditionally mean close contacts with Central Asian states. The reasons are geographical neighborhood, related cultures, traditions, customs and common historical destiny, as well as the complementarities and interdependences of economies. The analysis of Kyrgyzstan´s cooperation with other CIS countries proves the necessity of these relationships. However, despite well-developed legal framework, the potential of the cooperation is not fully exhausted due to objective circumstances. Status and prospects of Kyrgyz relations with the developed countries show, that the conclusion of bilateral agreements and intensification of the investment in Kyrgyz economy would lead to the stable development to a market economy. The cooperation with Western countries is one of the most important foreign policy priorities of the Kyrgyz Republic. The most active relationships are maintained with such leading countries as the United States, Germany and France. However, despite the positive impact of these relations, the danger of partial or complete economic dependence cannot be ignored. Especially Kyrgyz-German relations are developing most actively, including declaratory stage and have reached the level of specific bilateral cooperation. With other Western States Kyrgyzstan has an only fragmented and unstable relation. Due to economic and financial difficulties and poor resource potential, Kyrgyzstan could not fully develop bilateral relations with many countries, in particular, with the Asia-Pacific region. However, the enhancement of cooperation with these states has good prospects for the republic. As a landlocked country, located on the periphery of the major routes, Kyrgyzstan seeks to create infrastructure on the basis of the alliance and partnership with Russia, Kazakhstan,Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other CIS countries as well as through the development of transnational projects, linking the states of Eurasian continent and of the Asia-Pacific region. Since independence, the Kyrgyz Republic became a member of the leading international organization. This is a fundamental factor for the inclusion of the country into the global processes. Thus, in the foreign policy of the Kyrgyz Republic has already identified the priority areas, which are characterized by the principles of multilateralism. This allows the country to establish bilateral relations with many countries in the world without strict obligations due to the transitional period of development. The best option for the operation on the international arena is foreign policy, which enables the country to continue the policy of balancing between the poles of influence.