Regional Policy Agglomeration: Arctic Policy in Canada and the United States

Regional policies addressing urban policy, rural policy and policies with specific regional targets tend to evolve from the consideration of disparate issues that impact the designated region rather than as co-ordinated strategies. We label this aggregation of disparate policies as policy agglomeration. We examine this phenomenon for domestic aspects of Arctic policies in Canada and the United States. Arctic policy in each setting is comprised of a diversity of policy components with limited policy targeting for the Arctic region or populations. The greater targeting of Canadian policies with respect to both place and indigenous populations is explained by institutional and political factors.