Lee Huskey

Modeling sustainability of Arctic communities: an interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers and local knowledge holders.

How will climate change affect the sustainability of Arctic villages over the next 40 years? This question motivated a collaboration of 23 researchers and four Arctic communities (Old Crow, Yukon Territory, Canada; Aklavik, Northwest Territories, Canada; Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories, Canada; and Arctic Village, Alaska, USA) in or near the range of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. We drew on existing research and local knowledge to examine potential effects of climate change, petroleum development, tourism, and government spending cutbacks on the sustainability of four Arctic villages. We used data across eight disciplines to develop an Arctic Community Synthesis Model and a Web-based, interactive Possible Futures Model. Results suggested that climate warming will increase vegetation biomass within the herd’s summer range. However, despite forage increasing, the herd was projected as likely to decline with a warming climate because of increased insect harassment in the summer and potentially greater winter snow depths. There was a strong negative correlation between hypothetical, development-induced displacement of cows and calves from utilized calving grounds and calf survival during June. The results suggested that climate warming coupled with petroleum development would cause a decline in caribou harvest by local communities. Because the Synthesis Model inherits uncertainties associated with each component model, sensitivity analysis is required. Scientists and stakeholders agreed that (1) although simulation models are incomplete abstractions of the real world, they helped bring scientific and community knowledge together, and (2) relationships established across disciplines and between scientists and communities were a valuable outcome of the study. Additional project materials, including the Web-based Possible Futures Model, are available at http://www.taiga.net/sustain.

Challenges to Economic Development: Dimensions of “Remoteness” in the North

An Alaskan economist explores the concept of “economic remoteness” as it applies to the development of northern regions. The objective is to extend the range of factors assessed in northern economic studies beyond largely physical criteria (e.g., climate and location) to encompass cultural and institutional variables in which “remoteness” also may play a role. The concept is used as a basis for examining contradictions in economic structure, the role of government, and the persistence of poverty in northern regions.

Community migration in Alaska's north: the places people stay and the places they leave

Abstract Arctic Alaska is a vast sparsely settled region encompassing Alaskas three most northern census areas. The Arctic has been a region of net out-migration for the past three decades. Despite this regional migration pattern, many of the regions villages have experienced net in-migration. The paper looks at the village migration patterns in the region in two periods. Census micro data was used to describe the flows of migrants into and out of villages between two periods, from 1985 to 1990 and from 1995 to 2000. The pattern has varied over time with many villages switching between net out-migration and net in-migration. Preliminary explanations of these differences are investigated. Examining village characteristics and community migration rates provides some support for the idea that migration differences across communities may reflect variation in economic growth, housing supply, social benefits, and the demographic character of villages.

The Arctic Economy in a Global Context

Change has been a characteristic of the Arctic economy since its early history. Today the pattern of change differs from the past in its magnitude, its rate of change, and the complexity of Arctic changes. The differences reflect a number of sources – climate warming, increased accessibility, and economic integration with global markets. This new pattern of change will produce significant impacts on the economies of the Arctic region, from main centers to smaller local communities. In this chapter we consider a number of sources of change, and reflect on the impacts for the new Arctic. We conclude that while the new Arctic will hold many promises and opportunities for formal and informal economies across the region, there are critical challenges to be addressed as the economy becomes an increasingly important player in the global context.

An Arctic development strategy? The North Slope Inupiat and the resource curse

ABSTRACT Alaska’s North Slope region has been seen as an exception to the resource curse. Observers of the first 20 years of oil development have viewed its effects as positive for the local Indigenous communities. Yet the recent decline of North Slope oil production and the collapse of oil prices threaten the local government’s major revenue source. Taking a long-term perspective, this article asks if the strategic choices made by North Slope institutions provide some hope of avoiding the resource curse.

“That’s where my money goes”: resource production and financial flows in the Yukon economy

Abstract Staple theory is offered as an alternative to the resource curse for discussing resource development and sustainability in Northern regions and communities. Staple theory examines the money flows from resource development along the backward, forward, fiscal and final demand linkages to the local economy. Staple theory provides for more specific types of policy recommendations for affected communities. The staples approach is applied to the Canadian Yukon. A general overview of the Yukon’s historic resource development is presented. This is followed by an application of the staples approach to the recent Yukon resource boom.

The Government Wage Premium in Alaska

All across the North and throughout remote regions of the world, the government plays an important economic role [1]. Federal and regional government employment is often the dominant sector of the economy. Federal government spending of all sorts provides an important source of basic sector activity. Government employment can also bring stability to economies built around cyclically and seasonally unstable reosurce industries. Government is often the dominant resource owner in the region, and the decisions by government employees about the use of these resources will determine the economic growth of the region. Finally, government employees enforce the rules for economic activity which, depending on the point of view, either assist or hinder economic development.