Reservation institutional quality matters

Across 123 tribal nations median incomes vary sixfold. The Reservation Economic Freedom Index (REFI) — measuring property rights, regulatory clarity, governance and economic freedom — strongly correlates with household income: each point on a 0–13 REFI scale is worth roughly $1,800 in median household income. — If causal, reforming federal land‑and‑jurisdiction rules (trust status, BIA approvals, collateral rules) could materially and rapidly raise living standards for many Native communities and provides a compact comparative dataset for institutional research.