Abstract
How does the recognition of collective self-governance rights for indigenous communities affect national unity and state consolidation? In recent decades, many states have recognized such rights, devolving de jure control over land and local governance to indigenous institutions. Prominent perspectives in the state-building literature suggest that these policies are likely to threaten state consolidation by strengthening nonstate authorities at the expense of state authority and subnational identities at the expense of a national identity. Yet few studies have tested whether these policies have the consequences their critics claim. I address this gap, leveraging spatial and temporal variation in the granting of communal land titles to indigenous communities in the Philippines. Using difference-in-differences and panel designs, I find that titling increases both indigenous self-identification and compliance with the state. Results from an original survey experiment suggest that recognizing collective self-governance rights increases identification with the nation.
Highlights
B y recognizing multiple forms of governance within their borders, do states risk undermining national unity and rendering themselves weak and ineffective? States around the world recognize collective self-governance rights for indigenous and tribal communities, defining distinct subnational identity groups and devolving governing powers to nonstate authorities
Census enumerators are instructed to ask, for each individual in a household: “Was [NAME]’s birth registered with the Civil Registry Office?” While enumerators are not required to request copies of the birth certificate for each individual in the household, the census is the primary source used by the government to determine rates of birth registration in the country (Philippine Statistics Authority 2017, 8). In both 2000 and 2010, the Philippines government conducted a Census of Population and Housing, while in 2007 and 2015 only a Census of Population was conducted
I present evidence from a experiment embedded in a survey of indigenous respondents in three Philippine provinces, which tests the effects of priming collective recognition on identification with one’s tribe relative to the nation and other identity characteristics
Summary
B y recognizing multiple forms of governance within their borders, do states risk undermining national unity and rendering themselves weak and ineffective? States around the world recognize collective self-governance rights for indigenous and tribal communities, defining distinct subnational identity groups and devolving governing powers to nonstate authorities. A recent study found that nearly half of UN member states recognized indigenous governance in their constitutions (Holzinger et al 2018), while dozens more have done so through statutory provisions (Chartock 2013; Cuskelly 2011; Yashar 2005).. A recent study found that nearly half of UN member states recognized indigenous governance in their constitutions (Holzinger et al 2018), while dozens more have done so through statutory provisions (Chartock 2013; Cuskelly 2011; Yashar 2005).1 These developments find support in international law and are lauded by many as progressive advances in human rights, the preservation of cultural heritage, and environmental protection..
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