Gini Coefficients, Social Network Analysis, and Markov Chains: quantitative methods for analyzing the distribution of benefits in natural resource-dependent communities

The equitable distribution of benefits is a critical component of sustainable community-based management of natural resources. This paper measures the circulation of currency among businesses in a small, natural resource-dependence community in interior British Columbia, and shows how this could tied to a quantified equitable distribution of extraction opportunities. As part of the development of the tools, this paper shows the equivalence of input-output models, social network analysis, and Markov chains. While ideologically the approach of quantifying equality is of interest to many, in reality and practice there are significant challenges to the adoption and implementation of these methods.