Representation, participation, and influence: Comparing Native American advocacy with organized interests at the federal level

Abstract

American Indians occupy a unique space in U.S. politics because they act as governments, businesses, and citizen groups. Yet studies of organized interests and intergovernmental lobbies rarely mention them. This study draws on original research on reported lobbying, reported lobbying expenditures, and advocacy efforts by tribal governments and organizations at the congressional hearing level. It compsares lobbying, lobbying expenditures, and congressional testimony by American Indians to that of organized interests and state and local governments to determine how well represented and successful Natives are in the legislative process. It finds that tribal governments and Native organizations lobby extensively on Indian affairs but constitute only a small portion of all lobbying, spend considerably less on lobbying than businesses and trade associations, and experience the most success in the legislative process when they unify in opposition to federal legislation.