The Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics will host a one-day workshop on Indigenous Economics on Friday, August 14, 2025, in the Lury and Barbara Goodall Room in the Newman Library.

Indigenous peoples had lived in the Americas and developed complex and diverse economic systems for thousands of years before Europeans arrived and began to establish colonies. The interaction of indigenous and colonial economic institutions fundamentally altered conditions for both the peoples that were already here and the new nations that would form. Today, people of Indigenous descent are amongst the poorest in the United States and Canada. Analyzing the role of Federal laws in the evolution of the economic conditions of Indigenous peoples is critical when formulating policies to improve their economic status both on and off of reservations. Furthermore, the economic growth, institutional formation, and distribution of income in North American today is a function of what was here in 1492. A true understanding of American economic development requires clarifying the connections between its past and present.

This workshop will provide a forum for scholars to explore emerging research in indigenous economics, considered from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The workshop will follow the traditional economics format of questions interspersed through each talk. Please see here for more information about the speakers and schedule.

The workshop is open to the public. All faculty, students, and members of the public are cordially invited to attend. For more information about this workshop, please contact Melinda Miller (millermc@nullvt.edu).

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact ppe@nullvt.edu at least ten business days before the event.