Research

Abstract: We contribute to the effort to build a more inclusive discipline by offering lessons and teaching strategies derived from the Native peoples of North America. Our proposed relational approach to teaching provides a framework that accommodates many practices already gaining traction in economics. We share specific, research-informed practices for inclusive teaching as well as personal narratives. We discuss the importance of setting the tone in the early days of the semester, we summarize some of the principles of Indigenous-influenced economics courses, and we talk about how to translate those principles into applied teaching strategies. We believe borrowing from Indigenous pedagogies can build belonging and community in our classrooms, thereby contributing to a discipline that is more welcoming of a broader range of students. 

This recently completed textbook chapter provides knowledge and resources to help HR managers create workplaces that engage Native American employees. A flavor of the chapter is given in our concluding paragraph:

Professionals need to engage Native Americans with the same “four R’s” introduced over 30 years ago in a seminal article on indigenizing higher education.  Kirkness and Barnhardt (1991) believed that the lack of representation of Native Americans in higher education was due to a major failure to meet their needs. The same can be said about businesses that lack an understanding of Native American culture and values. Employers can apply Kirkness and Barnhardt’s (1991) four Rs to their workplace by extending respect to Native Americans for who they are, providing a context for them to make relevant contributions, allowing them to make reciprocal relationships with stakeholders, and being more responsible in creating an organizational culture where Native Americans can work with others in an inclusive environment and achieve success. We hope that by shining a light on Native American issues in this chapter, more managers and organizations can adopt better practices for engaging Native American talent.

Abstract: In this essay, I describe three characteristics that Indigenous Business and Public Administration should aim to develop to be a distinctly Native journal. The journal should not be contained by dominant stereotypes of Native Americans. It should reflect the adaptability and innovation that Native Americans have shown in surviving the continuing colonial endeavor to erase us. Finally, the relationships between community members should be prioritized at least as much as the content. I developed these characteristics by reflecting on my experiences in higher education along with the ideas of other Native scholars.

Part of a special issue of the journal aimed at clarifying “how the Native context or Native actors and agents change the action of decision makers and business leaders in the world.” (IBAPA Call for Papers). This is a new journal focused on Indigenous issues in business and management.  The journal aims to decolonize the academy by providing a space where Native scholars can “communicate in a manner that is culturally acceptable and effective for their own people.” (IBAPA Website)

Article Highlights

• Tribes and other Native entity types have seen federal contracting revenues grow

• Federal contracting revenue for tribes has grown faster than revenue from gaming, natural resources

• Native entities’ federal contracting work has national and global reach

Abstract: Using a survey of new firms in Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, I explore how an entrepreneur’s social networks affect the amount paid in bribes to government officials. Lower levels of bribe payments are associated with ownership by a former manager of a state-owned enterprise (SOE), with being a spin-off from a SOE, and with trade association membership. The results also suggest that these networks have a larger impact on bribe payments than do firm characteristics such as profits, sales, or resale value. For the average firm, having a former SOE manager as an owner can be expected to reduce bribe payments by over 50%, while, by contrast, doubling the firm’s profits results in only a 7% increase in bribe payments.

Abstract: Decentralizing the allocation of public goods by giving funds directly to communities takes advantage of local information concerning needs, but leaves funds open to misuse or capture by local elites. A large scale development project in Indonesia attempts to overcome this downside of decentralized allocation by having communities compete locally for block grants. Competition weeds out less efficient projects. Increasing the number of villages bidding by 10% leads to a 1.8% decline in road construction costs. Increased community participation in project planning also leads to better outcomes.