A Holistic approach to accountability: Measuring outcomes of economic development funding in northern Canadian Aboriginal communities

Government funding targeted at the economic development of remote Aboriginal communities in northern Canada has historically taken a narrow view of accountability. While traditional financial reporting obligations invariably fall on recipients of government funding, this process gives little thought to broader notions of reciprocal accountability and the views of both providers and recipients of funding. The present study used a combination of constructivist Grounded Theory and Aboriginal methodologies in interviews primarily with funding recipients and providers to draw on participants’ (n=34) local knowledge of the socio-cultural factors influencing economic development in Fort Liard, Northwest Territories, Canada. The results of this study demonstrate accountability processes based solely on financial reporting do not adequately reflect the complex social, cultural, economic and environmental outcomes that emerge from government-funded projects. A holistic approach to economic development accountability is needed to properly assess and measure the impacts of government funding in remote Aboriginal communities.