This book compares and contrasts historical and contemporary Canadian and U.S. Native American policy. The contributors include economists, political scientists, and lawyers, who, despite analyzing a number of different groups in several eras, consistently take a political economy approach to the issues. Using this framework, the authors examine the evolution of property rights, from wildlife in pre-Columbian times and the potential for using property rights to resolve contemporary fish and wildlife issues, to the importance of customs and culture to resource decisions; the competition from from states o for Native American casino revenues; and the impact of sovereignty on economic development.
In each case, the chapters present new data and new ways of thinking about old evidence. In addition to providing a framework for analysis and new data, this book suggests how native American and First Nation policy might be reformed with a view to sustainable economic development, cultural integrity, and self-determination. The book should be of interest to scholars, policy analysts, and students of Native American law economics, and resource use, as well as those interested in the history of Native Americans and Canada’s First Nations.
