Here I put some new research in aboriginal economics mostly done by my MA students. This is the beginning of the program of research in AE.
1. The link between community well-being and Aboriginal language retention
by Bexultan Shayakhmetov
There are over 1.4 million individuals in Canada are aboriginal people and 637,660 of them are Registered or Treaty Indians. Approximately half of them (49.1%) are living in reserves and other settlements. With more than 600 bands and over 60 languages, the majority of First Nations population with registered Indian status live in Ontario (19.7%), British Columbia (17.6%), Manitoba (16.6%), Alberta (15.2%) and Saskatchewan (14.8%).1 Around 99.4% of First Nations people can converse in English or French and only 22.4% can communicate in their Aboriginal language. The First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Council (2010) indicates that the share of First Nations individuals in British Columbia who can communicate in Aboriginal language has decreased from 100% in the year 1890 to only 5.1% in 2010. The Council highlights the importance of the First Nations languages from cultural, identity and knowledge perspectives. This study uses 2001 and 2006 Canadian Census data, the 2011 National Household Survey, and the corresponding Community Well-Being Index (CWB) data tables. (CWB scoring system includes four components – Income, Education, Housing and Labour Force Activity).
There are issues with the survival of aboriginal languages in Canada. According to information from AANDC, there are 617 First Nations Communities, who speak around 50 Aboriginal languages which are considered as vulnerable, endangered or even extinct. The objective is to evaluate the link and trends in well being of First Nations communities and aboriginal language knowledge ratio. The regression results of the models confirm the negative relation between Community Well-Being Index scores of the selected sample of First Nations’ communities and Aboriginal language knowledge ratio. This relation is significant across three Canada Census years from 2001 to 2006 and 2011. The regressions results also confirm the negative link between CWB index and the remoteness measure for selected sample.
2. Well-being through Self-Government and Land Rights: An Impact Analysis of Agreements between Indigenous Communities and the Crown (1981-2011)
by Henry N. Robertson
This paper considers the impact of establishing property rights and self-governance on the well-being of Indigenous communities in Canada. Modern treaties and self-government agreements represent a significant transfer of land, finances, and legal rights, as they establish property rights and/or self-governance for Indigenous communities. Thus it is important to analyze to analyze the impact of settlements and investigate the channels through which impacts are distributed. This paper's findings point to strong positive impacts on economic indicators, specifically through improvements to housing, higher income, and education. The impact varies significantly between comprehensive land claim agreements, self-governing agreements, or the combination thereof. The results provide evidence that self-governance is correlated to marked improvements in education, while Comprehensive Land Claim Agreements are linked with marked improvements to housing and income. Further, this research supports claims that establishing property rights leads both to increased incomes, and increases quantity and/or quality of housing in communities. These findings provide evidence that ratifying Self Government Agreements together with Comprehensive Land Claim Agreements lead to improved outcomes in Indigenous communities' well-being.