The law and economics of indigenous and ethnic minorities: introduction

This paper introduces the European journal of law and economics symposium on the “law and economics of indigenous and ethnic minorities.” Indigenous and ethnic minority groups tend to endure economic, political, and social disadvantages resulting from discrimination, inequality, marginalisation and other pathologies. The disadvantaged status of indigenous and ethnic minorities is often reflected in, if not entrenched as the result of, legal specifications and practices that increase the costs of inclusion and widespread participation in socio-economic and political life. Law and economics literature suggests that the costs of discrimination are significant, but that indigenous and ethnic minorities have the capacity to develop their own economic strategies and institutional practices to help ameliorate some of the consequences of discrimination by majoritarian populations. The papers in this symposium consider the law and economics of indigenous and ethnic minorities in a range of historical and contemporary perspectives, including the cases of immigration restrictions, conflicts over land management and property rights, and resources access. This introductory paper also presents a range of topical domains for potential future research by law and economics scholars.