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Land Titles and Dispossession: Allotment on American Indian Reservations

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  • Randall Akee

    (Brookings Institution
    University of California, Los Angeles
    NBER)

Abstract

The Nelson Act of 1889 established the allotment of American Indian lands for American Indians in Minnesota; subsequent changes allowed land to be sold to non-Indians. Allotment was intended to provide private land ownership for American Indians during this period where none had previously existed on reservation lands. This dramatic shift in land tenure occurred throughout the USA for many reservations. In this analysis, I examine two different Minnesota reservations over time: one that was allotted and another that was not allotted. I find a dramatic reduction in home ownership and an increase in household size for households that were treated to the land-titling program as compared to those households that were not treated. I also document a noticeable effect on wage sector employment; there is a large movement from self-employment in farming to the wage sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Randall Akee, 2020. "Land Titles and Dispossession: Allotment on American Indian Reservations," Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy, Springer, vol. 3(2), pages 123-143, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joerap:v:3:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s41996-019-00035-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s41996-019-00035-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Trosper, Ronald L, 1978. "American Indian Relative Ranching Efficiency," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 68(4), pages 503-516, September.
    2. Hoyt Bleakley & Joseph P. Ferrie, 2013. "Up from Poverty? The 1832 Cherokee Land Lottery and the Long-run Distribution of Wealth," NBER Working Papers 19175, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Anderson, Terry L & Lueck, Dean, 1992. "Land Tenure and Agricultural Productivity on Indian Reservations," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(2), pages 427-454, October.
    4. Carlson, Leonard A., 1981. "Land allotment and the decline of American Indian farming," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 128-154, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carlos, Ann M. & Feir, Donna L. & Redish, Angela, 2022. "Indigenous Nations and the Development of the U.S. Economy: Land, Resources, and Dispossession," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 82(2), pages 516-555, June.
    2. Terry L. Anderson & Ilia Murtazashvili & Dominic P. Parker, 2024. "The political economy of American Indian policy: introduction to a special issue," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 199(3), pages 187-191, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Dawes Act; Allotment; American Indians; Land tenure; Poverty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • R52 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Land Use and Other Regulations

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