About the authors:

Erwin Schweisshelm, born in 1954, studied social sciences in Bochum and has worked for the German Non-Governmental Organization Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) in Manila/Philippines, Indonesia and Bonn/Germany. He is currently working in the Asia department of FES in Bonn/Germany.

Peter Mayer, born in 1961, studied economics and business administration in Frankfurt and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has worked for the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Bonn/Germany, Accra/Ghana and is currently working in Seoul/South Korea.