Tribal Economics will be taught by John McCoy and a yet to be announced professor. This class will focus on the unique roles that tribal government plays in relation to economic, business and community development within Indian reservations and the surrounding areas. As the local government within reservation boundaries, tribes are responsible for determining which business enterprises may be licensed, which economic activities are to be permitted by individuals and corporations and which are to be tribally-managed. Tribal governments are responsible for regulating all land uses and to assess the environmental impacts of development proposals. In fulfilling these responsibilities, tribal governments constitute the primary authority charged with safeguarding the public good and protecting the tribal community from any harmful practices of private business. At the same time tribes strive to create an environment in which legitimate business and commerce may flourish. Tribal governments have the authority to impose taxes on economic activities and business transactions in order to generate revenue for public services. They must also fund the development of physical infrastructure such as roads, utilities, etc. Tribes take on the role of “community development” which includes construction and maintenance of public housing, schools, health care facilities, public recreation and cultural preservation. In this course, we will examine how tribal governments balance these complex and challenging roles in the context of cultural compatibility with the values and traditions of the tribal community and integration of the Tribes role within the surrounding non-tribal communities and external public land management agencies.