Demand Responsive Services: An analytical framework for improved administrative practice in Indigenous Settlements

Application of the economic model of demand responsiveness to government services has been successfully applied in international development overseas, and mainstream government service delivery in Australia, but not yet to Indigenous settlements. Shifting the balance in services from supply to demand has the potential to facilitate improved access, outcomes, and sustainability of services. In applying this model to Indigenous settlements, an important relationship between demand and supply of services does exist, but a deeper analysis is required beyond the economic model to account for the complex sociopolitical geographies involved. Further research is required to develop a framework to explain the interactions that occur in practice, to determine the conditions which permit productive relationships to develop between consumers and service providers. This paper presents an analytical framework through which to proceed, structured around five proposed research questions.