Doctoral Dissertation Research: Gambling with Development: The Birth of Casino Industries in South Africa and California, US

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the rapid expansion of the casino industry in the United States and South Africa. These cases differ in industry regulation and competitive structure: competitive, privatized casinos in South Africa, and monopolistic, regulated ones in California. While both casinos were legitimated through their potential to develop indigenous peoples, different conceptions of development by casino supporters have led to different structures and regulation. The research will investigate the consequences of these different origins and structures with ethnographic fieldwork at both sites. Three issues will be central: financial relations between the corporations and indigenous peoples, management-worker relations, and marketing strategies with consumers.