| Abstract: | Economic indicators in the United States document the poor economic straits in which Native Americans find themselves. Historically,
scholars have explained delayed economic development using Linear Stage, Structural-Change, Dependency and Neoclassical Counter
Revolution Models. All of these, however, are unable to fully explain the Native American case. We discuss the deficiencies
of these models and point out the effects of constantly changing United States policies on Native American economic well-being.
We present data from a survey of tribal government respondents about preferred business arrangements on the reservation to
support greater attention to cultural identity in economic development studies. A model that incorporates cultural and sovereignty
variables is presented.
Diane Duffy, Ph.D., is assistant professor of political science at Iowa State University. She combines the study of political
psychology and public policy by examining citizen perceptions of political issues. Currently she is examining Native American
perceptions of “patriotism.”
Jerry Stubben, Ph.D., is an Extension State Communities Specialist and adjunct associate professor in the Professional Studies
Department at Iowa State University. He descends from the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and served as Chair of the American Indian
Studies Program at ISU from 1990–1995. Presently, he serves as co-investigator on a National Institute on Drug Abuse funded
project to develop, implement, and evaluate a tribally based, family oriented substance abuse prevention program on the Mille
Lacs reservation in Minnesota and Lac du Flambeau reservation in Wisconsin. |
