Successful Tribal Nation-Building

The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development has been conducting research and technical assistance projects across Indian country for over a decade trying to understand the complicated forces at work.

This research argues strongly that three factors underlie the ability of Indian Nations to build sustainable economies:

* assertions of sovereignty (self decision-making);

* institutions that are able to "settle disputes fairly, separate the functions of elected representation and business management, and successfully implement tribal policies that advance tribal strategic goals;" and

* the matching of governing institutions to indigenous values and beliefs (culture) about how authority should be organized and exercised.

The following slide presentation was prepared by the Harvard Project for American Indian Economic Development and the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona. Keys to Nation Building in Indian Country