AGUI TEQLLCAstounding Goals Unlock Ingenuity
Research · Brown Paper™ Series

Brown Papers

Brown Papers are AGUI TEQ's signature research publications. They are bilingual, equity-driven analyses written to inform policy and to be read by the communities most affected by it. Each paper states its lens, its methods, and its authors' relationship to the subject, because that openness is part of the rigor.

Why "brown"?

Policy papers have long been named by color. Governments issue white papers as official positions and green papers as drafts for discussion. In 1970, communities answered with their own: the Indian Association of Alberta's Red Paper and the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs' Brown Paper.

For AGUI TEQ, brown also means tierra: earth, soil, and analysis grounded in the places and people it studies. What defines a Brown Paper is its method, positionality, and purpose, not the identity of its authors or readers.

Acknowledgment

We honor the 1970 UBCIC Brown Paper, A Declaration of Indian Rights: The B.C. Indian Position Paper, as a foundational Indigenous-led work of community-centered policy counter-analysis. Every AGUI TEQ Brown Paper names it.

The series
  1. Intro
    An Introduction to Brown PapersA framework for equity-driven, culturally grounded analysis. Version 1.0, 2026.
  2. #001
    Neighbors at Hand / Vecinos a la manoThe design and pilots of HAND, a hyperlocal neighbor-support directory.
Every Brown Paper includes
  • English and Spanish editions
  • A stated research question and methodology
  • A positionality statement from the authors
  • Acknowledgment of the 1970 UBCIC Brown Paper
Eight principles
  1. Bilingual accessibilityLanguage is a structural part of equity.
  2. Community-rooted knowledgeLived experience counts as evidence.
  3. Equity-centered analysisDifferential impact is examined directly.
  4. Cultural context as dataCulture is an input, not background.
  5. Methodological transparencyPositionality and limits are stated.
  6. Applied policy orientationWritten to inform real decisions.
  7. Accessible communicationClear for broad audiences, not only experts.
  8. Institutional accountabilityAGUI TEQ stands behind every claim.

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