A policy of biculturalism is typically aopted in nations that have emerged from a history of national or ethnic conflict in which neither side has gained complete victory. This condition usually arises as a consequence of colonial settlement. The resulting conflict may be either between colonisers and indigenous people or between rival groups of colonisers. The policy influences the structures and decisions of governments to ensure that political and economic power and influence are allocated equitably between people and/or corporations identified with the opposite sides of the cultural divide.