Slides-Unit 10-Beyond Neolib-Indig PDF

UNIT 10- BEYOND THE NEOLIBERAL CONSENSUS? GROWTH, EQUITY, SUSTAINABILITY, INDIGENOUS INSIGHTS Quotes and paraphrasing from: Hale, Geoffrey, Chapter 13: “The Political Marketplace: Interest Groups, Policy Communities, and Lobbying” In Geoffrey Hale, Uneasy Partnership, 2018. Conceptualizing Economic...

UNIT 10- BEYOND THE NEOLIBERAL CONSENSUS? GROWTH, EQUITY, SUSTAINABILITY, INDIGENOUS INSIGHTS Quotes and paraphrasing from: Hale, Geoffrey, Chapter 13: “The Political Marketplace: Interest Groups, Policy Communities, and Lobbying” In Geoffrey Hale, Uneasy Partnership, 2018. Conceptualizing Economic Legitimacy Higher living standards and quality of life? Voters judge. Performance Legitimacy: related to the extent to which the economic system has made them better off financially than they were in the fairly recent past. Normative Legitimacy: public acceptance or support derived from commitment to the pursuit of particular legal, social, cultural, or economic ideals or their substantive inclusion within a broader set of political objectives. Conceptualizing Economic Legitimacy: Uneasiness? Surveys show: Shallow levels of trust for major institutions (e.g. business and gov’t) to do what is right or serve the public good beyond institutions’ self-interest. Levels of public trust vary significantly across provinces, income levels, social groups, specific institutional subgroups Trust higher among higher-educated, higher incomes, and higher media consumption Conceptualizing Economic Legitimacy: Uneasiness? Cont’d Surveys show: Confidence is higher for more local institutions Decline of deference by public towards social and political elites Public increasingly intolerant of abuses of power and privilege by those in authority positions Conceptualizing Economic Legitimacy: Uneasiness? Continuing business cycle vaguarities and changes in the structures of the Canadian, North American, and global economies mean that growth rates, and the economic benefits that go with them, are rarely distributed evenly across economic sectors or geographic regions Conceptualizing Economic Legitimacy: Uneasiness? Throughout successive gov’ts In Canada, policy choices have generally been about balancing economic and social interests. However, has the pendulum moved too much toward market vulgarity at the expense of well-being and the environment? Will the current neoliberal/neoconservative consensus remain? Contemporary Canada at a Glance 2017 figures show: Average incomes rose just 2.8% in two years. Incomes of the top decile rose nearly 5%. The top 10% took in a quarter of all growth, while the bottom 40% took in only one-fifth of all growth. Pre-tax inequality figures the highest since 2010, after tax inequality figures up as well. Since the 1980s, majority of population’s incomes stagnated or fell, while top 1% and 0.1% of earners had their incomes grow at a staggering rate. Less than 1% of companies operating in Canada control over two-thirds of its assets, Alternatives to Neoliberalism Corporatism?: Provincially-focused sectoral corporatism with business subsidies (supporting and including strong regional businesses in policy making and prioritization). Lacks political legitimacy with propensity for corruption? (politicians and major economic players getting cozy). Populism(s)? Challenging elite cartels. Movements thrive when large elements of society believe themselves to have been left behind by social and economic change and existing political parties to be unresponsive to their demands. …Empty promises? Alternatives to Neoliberalism Conservationism: The attempt to manage natural resources so that human users, including future generations, derive maximum benefit over a long period of time Human Welfare Ecology (Photosource:https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/555350197779451596/ Human welfare ecology emerged as an extension of conservationism in that it originally focused on wildlife management… Human Welfare Ecology Expanded beyond traditional conservationism by directly addressing the environment’s value to human health and happiness Anthropocentric in that it is human-centred: movement for a safe, clean, and pleasant human environment. (Eckersly: https://www.uow.edu.au/~sharonb/STS300/environment/history/artnature.html) Sustainable Development Sustainable development- “a form of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Dickerson et al 2014) Deep Ecology Deep Ecology- a fundamental break with liberalism, and indeed with all other ideologies, because it is “ecocentric”—that is, it posits the entire natural order, not human happiness, as its highest value Often entails direct protest, civil disobedience, illegal activities Limits to Growth; De-Growth Limits to growth- earth’s resources are finite; must adjust Degrowth: paradigm shift; advocates for the downscaling of production and consumption—the contraction/replacement of present systems; anti- consumerist; challenge to capitalist ideas economies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degrowth Alternatives to Neoliberalism: Post-growth and Indigenous perspectives and examples Post Growth- Focuses on what is already working; context specific 17 Indigeneity and Green Ideas The core teaching of the circle is equality: “No relative is valued more than any other. A chief is not valued above the people; nor are humans valued above the animal nations, the birds, even the trees and rocks.” (Kidwell, Noley, and Tinker) Indigenous knowledge systems go back thousands of years and can help us gain insight into both the natural world and our place in it Indigenous Perspectives Towards political autonomy through court decisions, land claims agreements, land codes (allowing land as asset to free up borrowing-for-investment capabilities). Membertou Case: Combining governance approach found in the neoliberal era with strong leadership and adherence to cultural and environmental principles Unama’ki: Fishing enterprises, indigenous cultural tourism and arts, training programs, university indigenization and partnering with gov’t, multi-national, community institutions, “opting in” on their terms Unamaki Examples In the setting of the new global economy, Mi’kmaw leaders prepared themselves to take action and embrace opportunities for economic development in their communities. Recognized the need for business-savvy individuals and an office to follow up on agreements such as MOUs and transform the intentions into tangible action Examples Steering committee submitted a proposal to the federal and provincial governments asking them to partner with the Unama’ki communities in establishing an office for that purpose. ECBC and government partners involved with the Sydney Tar Ponds clean-up project -- Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrustructure Renewal -- partnered with the five Unama’ki communities in creating the Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office (UEBO), which opened in July, 2007 and staffs seven employees Wagmatcook NSCC Satellite Campus  UNAMA’KI: FROM MARGINALIZATION TO ECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND POLITICAL AUTONOMY The Mi’kmaq Mi’kmaq and closely-related Maliseet peoples eventually encompassed what is now eastern Canada and Eastern Maine. Named their territory “Mi'kma'ki” and it was divided into seven zones or districts Mi’kmaq in NS Peace and Friendship Treaties Generally acknowledged the right of the Mi’kmaw people to hunt and fish in their territory in exchange for their loyalty to the Crown Would figure prominently in Mi’kmaw autonomy seeking and region-building Towards Autonomy Donald Marshall Jr 1996: charged with ‘selling eels without a license, fishing out of season, and using illegal nets’ (Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative Press Release A 2009; Morgan 2009, 193). Appealed the conviction, basing his case on 1760-61 Peace and Friendship Treaties between the Crown and the Mi’kmaq. Supreme Court judgement acquitted Marshall, interpreting that the Treaties gave the Mi’kmaq the right to earn a ‘moderate livelihood’ through trading game and fish Indigenous-centred Policy Frameworks: Five Principles Recognition of Indigenous knowledge Recognition of the inherent right to self-determination Use of an inclusive and integrative knowledge system Use of community-based participatory approaches Use of circular and holistic viewpoints Right of Consultation The federal and provincial governments and their lead and supporting departments, agencies, and offices have come together collaboratively with the Unama’ki Mi’kmaq to construct guiding consultation documents Unama’ki Mi’kmaq, especially in Membertou, have demonstrated their ability to collaborate, form partnerships, and gain control over their lands through land codes in order to pursue economic development. Towards Autonomy Cont’d In the globalized era, harnessing culture and identity has factored into economic development and cultural tourism in Unama’ki, whether through powwows, handicrafts and arts, or building cultural interpretive centres, as revealed through the notable example of Wagmatcook. Membertou: Highly successful; most revenue is own- source Unama’ki Autonomy and Collaboration Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative, a Regional benefits office and Tourism body Partnerships with gov’t and multi-national companies cohesive emphasis on cultural maintenance) Membertou Autonomy Success! Partnerships (with gov’t, other indigenous communities, and multinationals) Land Codes Culture and Services Mi’kmaq Coalition led by Membertou gains 50% stake and control over Clearwater Seafoods (offshore fishery corporate giant).