The Impacts of Public Policy Implementation on Tribal Health Care Management: The Case of OEO/CAP

Abstract

This study examines the impact of one of President Johnson's “War on Poverty” programs on Native American control over current health care management. This program has been widely credited as a huge success – a tool that prompted tribes to increase their drive for self-determination. However, no one has ever empirically validated this claim. The results provided here do not support this contention. Participation in the program as a whole proved detrimental for tribal self-determination. The primary component within the program actively discouraged tribal development. However, another component did have the desired impact, encouraging capacity-building and supporting local input and control. This study contributes to both the international development and Native American literatures by demonstrating support for “bottom-up” development models and thereby offering a better option for self-determination and long-term sustainability.

Citation

Companion, M. (2005), "The Impacts of Public Policy Implementation on Tribal Health Care Management: The Case of OEO/CAP", Jacobs Kronenfeld, J. (Ed.) Health Care Services, Racial and Ethnic Minorities and Underserved Populations: Patient and Provider Perspectives (Research in the Sociology of Health Care, Vol. 23), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 217-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0275-4959(05)23010-7