Abstract
Economic development on Canadian Indian reserves is hindered by the fact that aboriginal peoples living on these reserves lack efficient and effective property rights. In 1999, the federal government passed the First Nations Land Management Act, which allows participating First Nations to develop their own land codes for administering their reserve lands. After analyzing two First Nation land codes in Ontario and Saskatchewan, this paper finds that land codes are effective mechanisms for addressing drag on on-reserve development.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alcantara, C. (2003). Individual property rights on Canadian Indian reserves: The historical emergence and jurisprudence of certificates of possession. Canadian Journal of Native Studies, 23, 391–424.
Alcantara, C. (2005). Certificates of possession and first nations housing: A case study of the six nations housing program. Canadian Journal of Law and Society, 20, 183–205.
Alcantara, C. (2007, in press). Indian women and the division of matrimonial real property on Canadian Indian reserves. Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 18(2).
Anderson, T. L. (Ed.) (1992). Property rights and Indian economies. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.
Anderson, T. L. (1995). Sovereign nations or reservations? An economic history of American Indians. San Francisco: Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy.
Anderson, T. L. (2006). Self-determination: the other path for native Americans. Perc Reports, 24, 3–5.
Anderson, T. L., Benson, B., & Flanagan, T. (Eds.) (2006). Self determination: the other path for native Americans. Stanford University Press.
Benson, B. L. (1992). Customary Indian law: two case studies. In T. L. Anderson (Ed.), Property rights and Indian economies (pp. 27–39). Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.
Benson, B. L. (2006). The 19th century Comanche: A legal system based on individual rights. Perc Reports, 24(2), 18–20.
Boudreaux, K. (2005). The role of property rights as an institution: Implications for development policy. Mercatus Policy Series: Policy Primer, 2(May), 1–20.
Carlson, L. A. (1981). Indians, bureaucrats, and land: the Dawes Act and the decline of Indian farming. Westport: Greenwood Press.
Cornell, S., & Kalt, J. (1992). Reloading the dice: Improving the chances of economic development on American Indian reservations. In S. Cornell, & J. Kalt (Eds.), What can tribes do? Strategies and institutions in American Indian economic development. Los Angeles: University of California at Los Angeles.
Demsetz, H. (1967). Toward a theory of property rights. American Economic Review, 57.
De Soto, H. (2000). The mystery of capital. New York: Basic Books.
First Nations Land Advisory Board. (2004). Annual report 2003–2004. Kanata: First Nations Land Management Resource Centre.
First Nations Land Advisory Board. (2005). Annual report 2004–2005. Kanata: First Nations Land Management Resource Centre.
Flanagan, T. (2000). First nations? Second thoughts. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press.
Flanagan, T., & Alcantara, C. (2004). Individual property rights on Canadian Indian reserves. Queens Law Journal, 29, 489–532.
Flanagan, T., & Alcantara, C. (2005). Individual property rights on Canadian Indian reserves: A review of the jurisprudence. Alberta Law Review, 42, 1019–1046.
Flanagan, T., & Alcantara, C. (2006). Customary land rights on Canadian Indian reserves. In T. L. Anderson, B. Benson, & T. Flanagan, (Eds.), Self determination: The other path for Native Americans (pp. 134–158). Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Hayek, F. A. (1945). The use of knowledge in society. The American Economic Review, 35, 519–530.
Indian Affairs and Northern Canada (INAC). (2004). Experiences in First Nations, Inuit and northern communities: comprehensive community planning. Ottawa: INAC.
Isaac, T. (2005). First Nations Land Management Act and third party interests. Alberta Law Review, 42, 1047–1060.
Johnsen, D. B. (2006). A modern potlatch? Privatizing british columbia salmon fishing. Perc Reports, 24, 15–17.
Kesselman, J. R. (2000). Aboriginal taxation of non-aboriginal residents: representation, discrimination, and accountability in the context of First Nations autonomy. Canadian Tax Journal, 48, 1525–1644.
Miller, R. J. (2001). Economic development in Indian country: will capitalism or socialism succeed?. Oregon Law Review, 80, 757–859.
North, D. C. (2006). Introduction. In T. L. Anderson, B. Benson, & T. Flanagan (Eds.), Self determination: The other path for Native Americans (pp. 1–3). Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Notzke, C. (1985). Indian reserves in Canada. Marburg: Im Selbstverlag des Geographischen Instituts der Universität Marburg.
Pipes, R. (1999). Property and freedom. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Rodriguez, C., Galbraith, C. S., & Stiles, C. H. (2006). American Indian collectivism: Past myth, present reality. Perc Reports, 24, 7–9.
Yellowtail, B. (2006). Indian sovereignty: dignity through self-sufficiency. Perc Reports, 24, 10–13.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Alcantara, C. Reduce transaction costs? Yes. Strengthen property rights? Maybe: The First Nations Land Management Act and economic development on Canadian Indian reserves. Public Choice 132, 421–432 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-007-9168-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-007-9168-7