Overview
Social Economy in the North
Although the term social economy
is
not widely used in Northern Canada, the ideas and relationships that
are the foundation of what others are now referring to as social
economy are prevalent throughout the North. Much work has been
devoted to a define of the social economy. Choinard and Fairbain (2002)
have noted that outside Quebec, the social economy is often referred to
as community economic development. The central notion of both these
terms is that they include economic activities that are not
state-driven and not profit-driven. They include a large "third sector"
that is often ignored (Quarter, 1992). In the North, it can be argued
that the traditional economy of indigenous societies can be considered
part of the social economy in that much of its pre-capitalist values
still play an important role in the region and act in contradiction to
the profit-seeking values of contemporary "affluent" society (Sahlins,
1972).
Communities in Canada's North are
currently facing substantial challenges. The social economy offers
tools to help these communities face these challenges. This network of
university and college-based researchers and representatives of
community based organizations, will operate as partners, to conduct
research relevant to the social economy in Canada's North. This is
important and relevant to the regional understanding and relationship
to Canada's Social Economy. Northern governments, both indigenous
and public, need research in this area in order to undertake realistic
program development and especially to develop realistic economic
development policies. The creation of a social economy
research node in the North will provide better understanding of how the
social economy functions in a variety of social conditions. In
particular, the nature and relationship of the social economy to the
collectivist traditions of Northern indigenous society would add much
to a proper understanding of the phenomena.
Chouinard,
O., Fairbain, B. (2002). L’économie sociale au Canada hors Québec:
la tradition coopérative et le développement économique communautaire.
Économie etsolidarités, Revue du CIRIEC-Canada , 33:1, 51-56.
House,
J. D. (1981). Big oil and small communities in coastal labrador: The
local dynamics of dependency. The Canadian Review of Sociology
and Anthropology, 18:4, 433-452.
Quarter,
J. (1992). Canada’s Social Economy . Toronto : Lorimer.
Sahlins,
M. (1972). Stone Age Economics . Chicago : Aldine and Atherton.
Southcott,
C. (2003). Spacially-based Social Differentiation in Canada
’s Future: Trends in Urban/Non-urban Differences in the Next Decade.
In D. Juteau, (Ed.), Social Differentiation Patterns and Processes
, Toronto : University of Toronto Press.
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