Explaining the Emergence of Indigenous–Local Intergovernmental Relations in Settler Societies

Abstract

There has been growing interest among practitioners and academics in the emergence of intergovernmental relations between local and Aboriginal governments in Canada. Initial research has focused on describing the nature of these relations but has yet to develop any theoretical expectations regarding why some communities are more likely to cooperate than others. We address this lacuna by developing a theoretical framework for explaining the emergence of cooperation between Aboriginal and local governments. After identifying a set of variables and specifying how they are likely to affect the propensity of communities to cooperate, we conclude with a discussion of how future researchers might use this framework to investigate cooperation and noncooperation between Aboriginal and local governments in Canada and in other settler societies.

Culture Wars and City Politics, Revisited: Local Councils and the Australia Day Controversy

“…While Sharp (2005Sharp ( , 2007 did make use of different subcultural theories in her research, this suggests that the progressive/conservative local subculture distinction needs to be considered in relation to community demographics, history, and identity. In general, it was clear that councils with stronger relations with and policies concerning their local Indigenous communities and land councils were more receptive to discussions concerning January 26 (see also Nelles and Alcantara 2014). Second, horizontal intergovernmental factors were very important in our study, with precedent and party affiliation often quite decisive.…”

“What do we want and how do we get there”: A comparative content analysis of First Nations Comprehensive Community Plans in British Columbia

“…Systemic challenges such as the inability to place reserve property as collateral in order to access financing, as well as a general lack of credit history are long recognized barriers (Small Business Task Force, 2018). Canadian federal, provincial and territorial governments have developed a number of programs in support of Indigenous entrepreneurship and Indigenous organizations such as the pan-Canadian network of Aboriginal Financial Institutions that provide critical lending and mentorship services (NACCA, 2021). The importance of tourism, arts and culture as an economic development activity in the majority of FNs strategic plans is notable and raises the question as to whether the existing suite of supports for Indigenous F I G U R E 2 Interventions by theme and geographic classification (adjusted), binary count.…”

Overcoming barriers to Indigenous‐local water sharing agreements in Canada

“…To analyze these agreements in more depth, we draw upon a methodology used by others who have analyzed the contents of similar intergovernmental agreements at this scale (Feiock, 2007; Nelles, 2012; Nelles & Alcantara, 2014). Drawing upon the existing literature reviewed above, we developed a coding scheme that two of the authors of this article used to code the agreements in terms of whether they contained provisions addressing three broad categories: financial capacity, cultural recognition , and sovereignty .…”