Summarizes benefits and negative aspects of organized gambling on American Indian reservations in Minnesota, including job creation, direct payments to tribal members, funding for education and social services, compulsive gamblers requiring treatment programs, economic entanglements with outside investors, possible infiltration of organized crime,…

Indian poverty is a result of the enforced social stagnation. Economic development in Indian country is intertwined with an Indian movement toward tribal sovereignty and political power. Economic success is not impeded by traditionalism in tribal culture and government, but it does require fair play by tribes and their leaders, an independent…

Argues that economic development on American Indian reservations can strengthen a tribe's ability to maintain its culture if all development plans are formulated with consideration for their total societal impact. Discusses holistic approaches to development and business management, spiritual concerns, implications for higher education, and…

Although Native Americans have owned and started the fewest small businesses of all U.S. minority groups, entrepreneurship is considered to be an efficient tool for alleviating their economic problems. Barriers to Native American entrepreneurship include poverty, scarce start-up capital, poor access to business education and technical assistance,…

Examines aspects of American Indian world views and values relevant to economic development policy; specifically, sense of community, connectedness of everything, consideration of future generations, and humility toward nature. Discusses constraints on economic development arising from these values and the relevance of common property ownership…

This paper reviews American Indian demography and the political and economic conditions on Indian reservations. After collapsing during the 19th century, the American Indian population grew gradually during the early 20th century, approaching 2 million in 1990. American Indians are heavily concentrated in the West, northern Midwest, and Oklahoma;…

This paper analyzes and evaluates federal assistance to Indians on or near reservations and recommends public policies to promote self-determination through economic development. Most Indian tribes rely on federal funds for basic necessities and services. At current funding levels, reservation residents lead lives of deprivation or opt for…

A collection of 13 scholarly articles and essays, this book makes available hard-to-find information and theories about American Indian economic development. Part I, "The Land and the People", emphasizes cultural traditions and beliefs of Indian people and traces the development of the concept of sovereignty and its applicability to…