Indigenous Public Policy: A Shift to a Neoliberalist Political Rationality During America's Reagan Presidency and Australia's Howard Government

Abstract

Ronald Reagan's 1983 United States of America (USA) American Indian Policy Statement and John Howard's Australian 2005 Indigenous Economic Development Strategy were developed as a political response to entrenched Indigenous socio-economic marginalization. Each political document recognized a history of limited employment, educational and societal opportunities having had existed for Indigenous people in their respective countries and a change in political approach was required. This study examines the literature by undertaking a qualitative thematic analysis that explores the adoption of a neoliberalist political rationality in Indigenous public policy: Ronald Reagan's 1983 United States of American (USA) American Indian Policy Statement and John Howard's Australian 2005 Indigenous Economic Development Strategy. The study identifies the key neoliberalist public policy ambitions as sought by each government.