Indigenous Autonomy and National Identity, and State Power in the Philippines

• In Event: National Identity and its Consequences in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

How does the granting of collective self-governance rights to indigenous communities affect their integration into the state and national community? Prominent theories associate sub-national identities and non-state authority structures with state weakness, favoring the assimilation of peripheral populations under a unified system. Yet in recent decades, many states have collectively recognized indigenous groups and devolved control over land and local governance to indigenous authorities. I argue that such policies, rather than weakening the state, can extend its influence into peripheral areas by increasing expected benefits from engagement with the formal political system. I illustrate this argument in the Philippines, leveraging spatial and temporal variation in the granting of communal land titles to indigenous communities. Using differences-in-differences and panel designs, I find that titling increases both indigenous self-identification and compliance with the state. Results from an original survey experiment suggest that granting collective self-governance rights increases identification with the nation and shapes expectations about mainstream politics to prioritize the provision of state public goods.

Author

• Nina McMurry, WZB Berlin Social Science Center