Autonomy and the Community Development Employment Projects scheme

Abstract

There is a tendency to view the CDEP scheme as unsuccessful when measured in predominantly economic terms, and in particular against its ability to reduce welfare dependence by reducing unemployment. However, it can be suggested that the scheme is quite successful in non-economic terms, as it appears to increase Indigenous political autonomy. By introducing the concepts of negative and positive autonomy, this paper proposes that it is legitimate to consider the scheme as relatively successful in terms of its political outcomes, even if it does little to reduce welfare dependence