Power from Powerlessness Tribal Governments, Institutional Niches, and American Federalism

by Evans, Laura E.

• ISBN13: 9780199742745
• ISBN10: 019974274X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-04-22
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Since America's founding, American Indian tribes have possessed hardly any social, economic, or political power, and they remain one of the poorest and isolated populations in the country (despite the popular myth that gambling revenue has elevated their socioeconomic status). Yet in comparison to other marginal groups, they have been relatively successful in persuading government at all levels--local, state, and federal--to pursue policies that address important tribal concerns. How is it that Indian tribes sometimes succeed against very dim odds? More broadly, given the equation between socioeconomic status and power in America, why would seemingly powerless advocates ever win? And what does Indians' success tell us about the potential for the powerless to wrest a measure of power for themselves in such an unequal country? In Power from Powerlessness , Laura Evans looks at the successful policy interventions by a range of Indian tribes to explain how disadvantaged groups can build capacity and exploit niches in the institutional framework of American federalism to obtain unlikely victories. While some of the victories are admittedly small, Evans shows that they are quite impressive when viewed cumulatively. Not simply a book about American Indian politics, Power from Powerlessness forces scholars of institutions and inequality to reconsider the commonly held view that the less powerful are in fact powerless.

Author Biography

Laura E. Evans is Assistant Professor in the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
American Indian Tribal Governments' Fight for Change inside Institutions	p. 3
The Historical Evolution of American Indian Political Strategies and Background	p. 24
Quiet, Yet Ever-Constant Advocacy: How American Indian Tribal Governments Have Confronted and Changed Federal Indian Policy	p. 54
Expertise-Centered Behaviors: How Knowledge Changes Organizations and How to Know When It's There	p. 98
Expertise and ôSoftö Disempowerment: Race, Land, and Local Power in American Indian Politics	p. 125
Channels of Access, Frames for Persuasion: The Influence of Tribal Governments in State Politics	p. 167
Forging the Future	p. 201
Notes	p. 211
References	p. 223
Index	p. 235
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