American Indian Economic Development
John F. Kennedy School of Government - Harvard University
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Harvard Kennedy School Hosts Symposium on the Future of Indigenous Nation Building
Cambridge, MA – On April 30th more than 100 of the world’s leading innovators, change makers, and thinkers in Indigenous affairs gathered at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government to take part in The Next Horizon in Nation Building symposium, led by the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. Founded by professors Stephen Cornell and Joseph Kalt in 1987, the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (Harvard Project) has worked with and for Native nations to assist in (re)building their social, economic, and governance systems. The research and outreach of the Harvard Project has been foundational in the “nation building” movement that now defines the Indigenous renaissance seen in the US and beyond.
In conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the Harvard Project, the symposium aimed to connect leaders who have worked to make Indigenous sovereignty a reality, as well as those up-and-coming practitioners, scholars and leaders who will play determinative roles in the Indigenous nation building efforts of the future. The events kicked off with Harvard Kennedy School’s John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at the Institute of Politics, Harvard’s primary venue for serious, public political discussion. Harvard Kennedy School Professor emeritus and Harvard Project co-founder, Joseph P. Kalt, commented, "There has been a unmistakable -- and widespread -- resurgence among American Indian nations over the past thirty years that's rooted in a pretty simple idea that's backed up by overwhelming evidence: When indigenous governments control what happens in their jurisdictions, their prospects of breaking cycles of poverty and social despair go up enormously." Kalt notes that gatherings like this one at Harvard also help change the public narrative about Native people: "People hear these stories and quickly realize that Native nations aren't some relic of the past. They're here, they're strong, and they are deservedly optimistic about where they are going."
Harvard Project co-founder Prof. Steve Cornell, who launched a similar research effort at the University of Arizona that continues to work closely with the Harvard Project adds, "Tribal governments are doing amazing things under self-rule, from building world-class courts to creating programs that outperform their non-Native peers."And what's really exciting, Cornell adds, is "that the nation-building movement is now global, with indigenous communities and nations from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and elsewhere sharing best practices." The Forum event reflected that worldwide movement by assembling international affairs experts, researchers, and nation building practitioners to discuss lessons drawn from the newest findings on nation building and to chart the future of sovereignty and self-determination. Audience members engaged with Forum panelists Chief Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan, Onondaga Council of Chiefs; Angela Riley, Professor & Director, Native Nations Law & Policy Center, University of California Los Angeles; Justice Joe Williams, New Zealand Court of Appeal; and Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice, Attorney General, & Member of Parliament, Canada.
Forum panelists stressed that the future of nation building includes indigenizing institutions, recognizing rights of self-rule, and solving challenges such as the criteria of citizenship, fiscal management, and climate change. A consensus of optimism, tempered by needs for internal capacity building, evoked a confident belief in the possibilities of self-determination. The event is available at
About the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development
The Harvard Projecton American Indian Economic Development is based in the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Through applied research and service, the Harvard Project aims to understand and foster the conditions under which sustained, self-determined social and economic development is achieved among American Indian nations. The Harvard Project’s core activities include research, education, and the administration of a tribal governance awards program. In all of its activities, the Harvard Project collaborates with the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy at the University of Arizona. The Harvard Project is also formally affiliated with the Harvard University Native American Program, an interfaculty initiative at Harvard University.
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