Power from Powerlessness

Tribal Governments, Institutional Niches, and American Federalism
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-0-19-974274-5
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 272 Seiten, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 592 g

* Cuts against conventional wisdom about the ability of Native Americans to influence U.S. policy
* Makes a broader argument about capability of minority groups to obtain power in a federal system
* Examines the status of indigenous governments in the U.S. and in intergovernmental politics

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.

Zielgruppe

Students and scholars of American Political Science, Native American Studies, Legal History, Federalism, Public Policy, and Political Institutions

Autoren/Hrsg.

Evans, Laura E

Fachgebiete

• Rechtswissenschaften Recht, Rechtswissenschaft Allgemein Rechtsgeschichte, Recht der Antike
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde Minderheiten, Interkulturelle & Multikulturelle Fragen
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Soziologie von Migranten und Minderheiten
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Politische Ethnologie, Recht, Organisation, Identität
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde Historische & Regionale Volkskunde
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik Migrations- & Minderheitenpolitik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1: American Indian Tribal Governments' Fight for Change inside Institutions
Chapter 2: The Historical Evolution of American Indian Political Strategies and Background
Chapter 3: Quiet, Yet Ever-Constant Advocacy: How American Indian Tribal Governments Have Confronted and Changed Federal Indian Policy
Chapter 4: Expertise-Centered Behaviors: How Knowledge Changes Organizations and How to Know When it's There
Chapter 5: Expertise and "Soft" Disempowerment: Race, Land and Local Power in American Indian Politics
Chapter 6: Channels of Access, Frames for Persuasion: Influence of Tribal Governments in State Politics
Chapter 7: Forging the Future
References

Über Autor(innen)

Evans, Laura E
Laura Evans is Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy Research at Harvard University, and Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.

Laura Evans, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Washington.

Laura Evans is Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy Research at Harvard University, and Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.