In 2016, Gavin Clarkson authored an important analysis on the law and economics of tribal online lending programs, finding that the programs were lawful, called “Online Sovereignty: The Law and Economics of Tribal Electronic Commerce.” In this analysis Clarkson also identified ways in which lending has supported the tribal economy to include employment, infrastructure, education, healthcare, tribal services and social services. He notes that “many tribes participating in tribal lending have few other options in the wake of federal funding shortfalls and shrinking tribal budgets.”