In this LEDCast episode Christian Schoen of mesopartner and Dr. Christian von Luebke of Stanford University discuss the political economy at the district level in Indonesia. Christian von Luebke is a political economist with particular interest in governance and economic development in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia. The conversation focuses on two research projects: The Political Economy of the Local Investment Climate in Indonesia und The Political Economy of Local Governance against the background of the recent democratisation and decentralisation processes in Indonesia. In a nutshell, the interview tries to find an answer to the crucial question: Why do some district governments in Indonesia perform well, why others perform rather poorly? Please remember to send us your comments and ideas for future episodes!

In this episode, Frank Wältring of mesopartner interviews Dr. Göran Lindqvist on the learning experiences in cluster development since 2003. Dr. Lindqvist is an associate at the Center for Strategy and Competitiveness (CSC) at the Stockholm School of Economics. He is also a co-author of the Cluster Greenbook (2003) and several other publications on clusters.   Please remember to send us your comments! Normal 0 false false false EN-ZA X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

In this LEDCast episode, Frank Waeltring interviews Ifor Ffowcs-Williams on the role of a "cluster facilitator". The difference between cluster management and cluster facilitation is discussed. Different kinds of funding and its implications are also elaborated on and the roles of different cluster facilitators are described. The main challenges for future cluster initiatives are also explored. Frank Waeltring is a partner in mesopartner (www.mesopartner.com). Ifor Ffowcs-Williams is an international cluster development expert and CEO of the niche economic development consulting firm Cluster Navigators (http://www.clusternavigators.com). His blog site is at (http://e4oncompetitiveness.com/  ).

In this episode, Dr. Ulrich Harmes-Liedtke of mesopartner interviews professionals of the international NGO World Vision: Elvire Douglas, Humanitarian Emergency Officer in Haiti and Treganna Myrabo, Economic Recovery Coordinator at the International Center in Monrovia, USA. The interview highlights why it is needed to include an economic perspective from the beginning in the response process to natural and man-made disasters.Please post your comments and questions to us!

This is the 2nd part of the interview between Shawn Cunningham and Natasha Walker on facilitation.

Shawn Cunningham interviews Natasha Walker on the essence of facilitation. During the conversation they share some practical tips and also agree on many pet hates. The issues discussed range from dealing with so-called difficult participants, balancing the role of facilitator and expert, and managing group work and feedback sessions. For more information on Natasha visit www.ifok.de or http://natashafacilitator.wordpress.com/

As many listeners are aware, Dr. Jorg Meyer-Stamer passed away on the 1st of May, 2009. In this short announcement Shawn Cunningham commit on behalf of mesopartner to continue publishing the LEDCast. To visit the condolonce page go to http://www.mesopartner.com/nc/dr-joerg-meyer-stamer/

Edmund Malesky explains the conceptual foundation and the impact of the PCI, an exercise that has been running in Vietnam for some years, unleashing significant sub-national government efforts to create a more business-friendly environment.

John Lawson, Geoff Ritson and Jorg Meyer-Stamer discuss the outcomes of a RALIS exercise, i.e. a quick diagnosis of the innovation system around the Downstream Chemicals Technology Station at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Nigel Gwynne-Evans of the Department of Economic Development in the Western Cape, South Africa, shares his experience with ten years of cluster promotion.