Date of Conferral
8-19-2026
Date of Award
August 2026
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Public Policy and Administration
Advisor
Mark Gordon
Abstract
Social and economic disparities in the Midwestern Reservation Community have persisted for more than five decades despite the enactment of federal Indian policy designed to address them. Based on the existing research, the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA’s) failure to effectively administer programs addressing health care, housing, and economic opportunity has perpetuated systemic inequities that disproportionately affect tribal nation members. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how members of the Midwestern Reservation Community viewed the implementation of BIA public policies intended to support tribal nations through the lens of the resource dependence theory, the narrative policy framework, and Lewis’s culture of poverty theory. Fourteen themes emerged, providing direct evidence of a persistent gap between the stated intent of federal Indian policy and its outcomes across health care, housing, economic development, governance, self-determination, cultural continuity, and infrastructure. Based on participants’ experiences and perceptions, meaningful reform requires community integration prior to implementation and funding commensurate with treaty obligations. Findings indicated BIA’s federal Indian policy had suffered from chronic mismanagement despite its intended implementation. Findings indicated that positive social change for the Midwestern Reservation Community is achievable when tribal nations are engaged as sovereign co-designers of policy and when federal funding honors treaty commitments established under U.S. law and through targeted policy development.
Recommended Citation
FABER, ERNA MAE, "Examination of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Public Policy Implementation in Support of Sovereign Tribal Nations" (2026). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 20639.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/20639
