|
|
 |
Home > Research > Project
Research Project
Tribal Finance Information Clearinghouse
(TFIC)
American Indian tribal governments provide a wide range of services to their tribal members, but providing these services requires funding. Tribes have historically been limited in their ability to access capital, and this reality has been a major barrier to economic development in the Native American community. To identify factors that constrain tribes from tapping into the capital markets effectively, however, the academic and policy-making communities need a thorough understanding of modern tribal finance contexts. Non-Indian governments and academics studying the capital markets related to those governmental entities have access to substantial information systems, but no such system exists for tribal governments. Not only are Tribes at an informational disadvantage, but credit insurers and rating agencies, such as Moody's, are also unable to view a complete picture of the tribal finance market. Thus, tribes must pay a significant penalty on tribal financings because of the uncertainty caused by the lack of data.
This cross-disciplinary project examines questions related to technological empowerment that have economic, sociological, and legal implications. To conduct research on the tribal finance marketplace, it is necessary to collect original data about tribal interaction with the capital markets and to develop an information system capable of storing, analyzing, and disseminating that data. The TFIC will initially contain three information sets: a historical account of tribal finance from 1980 to the present, specifically identifying and focusing on the seminal events in the marketplace; a database of all tribal municipal financings that have taken place from 1980 to the present; and a similar database of high-yield financings by tribes and Indian-owned enterprises for the same period. The TFIC will facilitate a comprehensive understanding of tribal interaction with the capital markets, specifically identifying those factors that are critical to the success of tribes as minority enterprises. Moreover, the completed project databases offer academic researchers and policy-makers an unparalleled opportunity to analyze a complete data set related to a significant minority group and to determine which variables presently impact capital markets access for tribes.
Contact: Gavin Clarkson (gsmc@umich.edu)
Home > Research > Project
|
|
|
|
|
|
