American Indian Self-Determination: The Political Economy of a Successful Policy

This report examines some of the ways that Native nations can either undermine or strengthen their own enterprises—and their own futures.

Reloading the Dice: Improving the Chances for Economic Development on American Indian Reservations

The experiences of a wide array of societies around the world amply demonstrate that achieving sustained, self-determined economic development is a complex and difficult task. Certainly this is the case on the Indian reservations of the United States, where numerous obstacles face tribal leaders, managers, and other individuals concerned about the economic wellbeing of their peoples. In the introductory chapter, the editors of this volume review the specific obstacles that Indian nations face as they pursue their own development goals, outline the critical role that institutions of tribal governance play in the development process, and suggest ways that newly empowered tribal governments can improve tribes' own chances of achieving self-determined development success

How Natural Is Monopoly? The Case of Bypass in Natural Gas Distribution Markets

Public utility markets in the United States are commonly subject to both price and entry regulation. However, as dissatisfaction with much of the nation\u27s regulatory system has mounted within the last decade, the wisdom of protecting utilities from competitors has come increasingly under attack. Numerous court cases and administrative rulings by regulatory agencies, as well as developments in the economics literature. have pointed to the benefits of allowing existing buyers of a utility\u27s services to bypass the utility and transact for the services with either incumbent firms or new entrants. The issue of entry deregulation has been at the heart of debates over regulatory reform in such industries as telecommunications, cable and satellite television transmission, the postal service, and electricity generation

Seizing the Future: Why Some Native Nations Do and Others Don't

This study examines the question of why is it that some Native nations seize upon the nation building strategy and take effective control of their futures while others do not. We find that foundational change in a community arises when the external and internal conditions a people face interact with their interpretations of their situation, producing a new, shared "story" of what is possible, and how it can be achieved. The keys to changing a community's "story" are found in proactive decisions to alter internal and external situations, acquire concrete knowledge of the feasible, build on the community's cultural assets, and exercise leadership—especially in educating the people in a new vision.

The Context and Meaning of Family Strengthening in Indian America

This paper analyzes the challenges of family strengthening in Indian Country and discusses strategies for effective intervention

Self-interest And Public Interest: The Motivations Of Political Actors

Self-Interest and Public Interest in Western Politics showed that the public, politicians, and bureaucrats are often public spirited. But this does not invalidate public-choice theory. Public-choice theory is an ideal type, not a claim that self-interest explains all political behavior. Instead, public-choice theory is useful in creating rules and institutions that guard against the worst case, which would be universal self-interestedness in politics. In contrast, the public-interest hypothesis is neither a comprehensive explanation of political behavior nor a sound basis for institutional design