The economics of Aboriginal education
This paper analyses broad patterns in Australian Aboriginal affairs and indigenous education since colonisation. The influence of these patterns on educational initiatives over the last 20 years is explored in some detail. Discussion highlights the level of systemic bias and structural violence which continue to influence Aboriginal life chances and, by extension, educational achievement among indigenous Australians despite state and federal policies designed to enhance educational access and equity. Of particular concern is that such policies are not closely integrated with community development and appear to continue to press for assimilation rather than self‐determination. As such, indigenous education appears to intensify levels of systemic frustration in Aboriginal communities. These issues are illustrated by an analysis of educational attainments among Aboriginal students in relation to those of other Australians and government expenditure.
Cultivating the Arctic’s Most Valuable Resource: An Analysis of Barriers to High School Completion Among Inuit Youth in Nunavut
This paper discusses the results of a survey on the high school experience of youth in 5 Nunavut communities. The survey consisted of personal interviews with youth currently in high school and with individuals that have dropped out of high school. Youth were asked about their attendance at school, resources at school, their home life and peers and their personal wellness. While the existing literature has, qualitatively, identified important mechanisms leading to early high school exit in Nunavut communities, our data allows us to quantify the relative importance of the various factors influencing high school dropout rates for youth living in Nunavut. The variable most associated with youth in school thinking about dropping out of school is alcohol consumption a student who drinks is 25% more likely to think of dropping out relative to a student who does not drink. For the out-of-school sample, we investigated factors associated with dropping out of school (as opposed to graduating from high school). We find that a youth whose friends dropped out of school is 20% more likely to have dropped out of school. A parent’s attitude toward schooling, education level and occupational status have an impact on a number of different aspects of a child’s likelihood of dropping out. A youth’s awareness of the economic returns to education also appears important for high school completion. We discuss potential policy implications of these results.
Cultural constraints on the delivery of HIV/AIDS prevention in Ireland.
HIV appeared in Ireland following an opiate epidemic in the early 1980s. Initially, however, the gay community mounted the only response to the spread of the virus while the implementation of early actions by the government was hampered by the constructions of the disease within Irish society. This paper considers the influence of the religious hierarchy in both the development of AIDS policy and in the shaping of public perceptions of the disease and those affected. A qualitative methodology is used to examine the role of such cultural constraints in an evaluation of the social context within which the prevention of HIV infection occurs. Three key issues pertinent to the policy context in Ireland are explored in depth. These are the role of the Catholic Church, the influences on health education programmes, particularly information giving, and the development of services and other interventions. These findings are discussed within the social and political contexts in which health policy is formulated.