Sees a 1987 Supreme Court decision allowing California tribes to continue operating high-stakes gambling operations as a milestone on the path to the Indian dream of community survival and collective political power. Contrasts this dream with the traditional American Dream of individual economic achievement. Contains 14 references. (SV)

Comparative analysis of economic development on 15 American Indian reservations plus supplementary data on 100 reservations suggest that successful development depends on tribal sovereignty coupled with aggressive assertions of Indian control, effective social institution-building, and appropriate development choices tested against tribal cultural…

Research on economic development efforts among 70 American Indian tribes, mostly in rural areas, yields information that may be applicable to rural areas generally. Local control matters--when decisions move into the hands of those whose future is at stake, the decision makers bear the consequences of their decisions, resulting in better decision…