"One of the limitations of economic development - with its emphasis on unlimited growth - is that it is pursued without any considerations as to its implications on ecosystems. The prevailing economic theories treat the economic process from a purely mechanistic standpoint. Different ways exist, however, to deal with the choices that humans have to make with respect to the allocation of resources, the distribution of its returns and the fulfilment of purposes of material progress.
"Training the Excluded for Work is an important contribution to debates about the importance and viability of job training policies and programmes that are directed to those who are "excluded" in the Canadian labour market. It is also timely insofar as job training, in contrast to post-secondary education policy, remains somewhat under examined in Canada. This is particularly ironic, as job training has emerged as a key issue for policy makers, industry, workers and activists.
"Founded by Professors Stephen Cornell and Joseph P. Kalt at Harvard University in 1987, The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (The Harvard Project) aims to understand and foster the conditions under which sustained, self-determined, social and economic development may be achieved among American Indian nations. The project has become something of a benchmark for current discussion of First Nations economic development.
"In a world characterized by an encroaching homogeneity induced by the growth of multi-national corporations and globalization, the causes of difference accrue new levels of importance. This is as true of tourism as in many other spheres of life – and one cause of differentiation for tourism promotion is the culture of Indigenous Peoples. This offers opportunities for cultural renaissance, income generation and enhanced political empowerment, but equally there are possible costs of creating commodities out of aspects of life that previously possessed spiritual meaning.
"The following is the keynote address of Chief Billy Diamond presented at the Fourth Annual General Assembly of the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO), which took place in Montreal, September 25 to 27, 1997. Chief Diamond's speech was both timely and moving. In it he is direct and honest highlighting - in no uncertain terms - what must happen if economic development is going to have a positive impact on the future of Aboriginal communities in Canada. His message is as vitally important today as it was in 1997.
"Since the early 1970s, Aboriginal communities, policy analysts, and researchers have constructed “urban Aboriginal economic development” as both a domain of strategic intervention and a field of tactical contestation. An integral part of this project has been the creation of a body of academic knowledge about urban Aboriginal peoples and their relationship to the economy.
"This paper evaluates an innovative two-tiered model of collaborative planning designed to increase participation of First Nations in resource and environmental planning in British Columbia, Canada. Like a one-tiered model, the two-tiered model engages stakeholders in face-to-face negotiations to develop a consensus plan. However, to finalize an agreement, recommendations from the first tier are then sent to a second tier of negotiations that includes only two parties – First Nations and the provincial government.
"Dances with Dependency offers effective strategies to eliminate welfare dependency and help eradicate poverty among indigenous populations. Beginning with an impassioned and insightful portrait of today’s native communities, it connects the prevailing impoverishment and despair directly to a “dependency mindset” forged by welfare economics. To reframe this debilitating mindset, it advocates policy reform in conjunction with a return to native peoples’ 10,000-year tradition of self-reliance based on personal responsibility and cultural awareness."
"This book offers effective strategies to help erase poverty. It advocates self-reliance, policy reform and cultural awareness. Accountability is required from all; the middle class, the trust fund babies and the underprivileged who see themselves as perpetual victims and have fallen into the entitlement trap. True Blue-prints are offered to rescue people from an economical slump and help them improve their life, and re-obtain a sense of self-worth."
Center for Indigenous Economic Development and Entrepreneurship (CIEDE)
"What are the important factors that foster an environment for investment and entrepreneurship in Indigenous1 communities? Can these fostering factors, and those that hinder investment and entrepreneurship, be identified and generalized across communities and diverse cultures? If so, can the conditions that have been created within successful Canadian Indigenous communities, communities that foster the development and growth of entrepreneurial ventures, be recreated by other Indigenous nations?
