Project on Indigenous Governance and Development at Harvard Kennedy School

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Project on Indigenous Governance and Development at Harvard Kennedy School

These nations are being rebuilt, poverty is being pushed back, and cultures are being strengthened as Indian communities take charge of their own destinies.

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 through applied research and service. The Project on Indigenous Governance and Development at the Harvard Kennedy School is the recognized leader in practical research, teaching, leadership development, policy analysis, an

d pro bono advising for Native communities. With Indigenous peoples so long shut out from access to world-class and relevant educational and economic opportunities, the core mission of the Project is to arm Indigenous people themselves with the tools needed to govern effectively and to strengthen their economic, social, and cultural fabrics. Based at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, the Project focuses on what works to strengthen Indigenous communities—and what doesn’t work. Since 1987, the Project has worked to uncover and support the conditions under which sustained, self-determined political, social, cultural, and economic strengthening can be achieved by Indigenous communities. The Project has been awarded by tribes themselves for its pioneering work fostering the Indigenous renaissance that has taken hold in the US and beyond.

09/01/2026

Our Faculty Director for the Harvard Kennedy School Project on Indigenous Governance and Development, Dr. Randall Akee, was recently interviewed for an LAist article on economic development initiatives led by the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation:

https://laist.com/news/la-history/san-bernardino-county-yuhaaviatam-anniversary-yaamava-tribal-gaming

08/26/2026

We would love to welcome Caleb Rivera to the team as our newest Post-Doctoral Research Fellow! Caleb is a Maui native and recently earned his PhD in Community Psychology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Through a community psychology lens, we cannot focus only on the individual but must also look to the broader ecological context, and an integral part of that context is culture. Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) epistemology shapes the questions he asks and the methods he uses to ask them. He works with communities to capture moʻolelo (stories and lore) and explore ʻāina (land, that which nourishes) as medicine. His research is done for, by, and with community, advancing prevention and intervention initiatives that seek to contribute to healthier people while honoring the more-than-living-world. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his ʻohana (family), traveling, and eating good food.

To learn more about our current Fellows and future Fellowship opportunities, visit our website here: https://indigenousgov.hks.harvard.edu/pre-doctoral-post-doctoral-and-summer-fellowships

08/18/2026

In the latest episode of our Rising Tides Webcast Series, learn more about our 2025 Honoring Nations Awardee, the Jicarilla Apache Nation’s Water Sharing Agreement. In a historic partnership, the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the state of New Mexico developed a first-of-its-kind arm's length agreement for leasing water. This effort was supported by The Nature Conservancy and other local and federal stakeholders and allows the Nation to lease up to 200,000 acre-feet of water to New Mexico, enhancing water security for the state, providing ecological benefits for the San Juan River, and affirming Jicarilla Apache’s inherent rights over its natural resources. Listen to the full interview here: https://youtu.be/iK4grCSbNTI

Speakers:
• Kirin Vicenti is an Indigenous musician, activist, and Tribal Water Commissioner from the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

• Jenny Dumas is life-long New Mexican and founder of and principal attorney for Dumas Law Office, LLC. She currently serves as water counsel for the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

• Jael Whitney Brothers (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) is the Assistant Director for the Honoring Nations program at the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development.

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The Rising Tides Webcast Series from the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development showcases stories of excellence in tribal self-governance, drawing from the Honoring Nations family of awardees and decades of Harvard Project research. With this series, our vision is to amplify Indigenous-driven solutions that strengthen sovereignty, inspire innovation, and advance community well-being, demonstrating how the exercise of strong tribal governance benefits all.

08/14/2026

The Agenda and Registration for our upcoming Conference on Democracy in Indian Country: Voting Rights and Freedom of the Press on Friday, September 11th is now live! Learn more and register here: https://indigenousgov.hks.harvard.edu/event/conference-democracy-indian-country-voting-rights-and-freedom-press

This event is co-presented in collaboration with the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development (), the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, the Harvard University Native American Program, and the Harvard Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
news

07/29/2026

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Harvard Kennedy School Project on Indigenous Governance and Development Working Paper Series. This new series provides a dynamic forum for the circulation of working papers produced by scholars, leaders, and community members. We welcome submissions that explore a wide range of topics related to Indigenous Peoples, including Self-Determination, Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, Political Institution Building, Property Rights and Legal Institutions, Natural Resources and Conservation, Social and Economic Outcomes, and Data Creation and Collection. Our goal is to showcase novel and innovative ideas that contribute to the advancement of Indigenous governance and development. Learn more and submit here: https://indigenousgov.hks.harvard.edu/working-papers

The mission of the HKS Project on Indigenous Governance and Development is to conduct and promote collaborative research, learning, and teaching that improves the political, social, cultural, and economic wellbeing of all Indigenous Peoples, nations, and communities. Our efforts are dedicated to supporting Indigenous Peoples’ sovereignty and the rights to self-determination and self-governance. Please note that there is a terms of service document and privacy statement that you’ll have to agree to. Please review these documents prior to submission.

We invite you to submit your working papers to our series and join us in fostering research and dialogue in this vital field. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

07/28/2026

We are excited to share our latest Google Arts & Culture virtual exhibit created in collaboration with the Native Village of Kotzebue's Environmental Program, one of our 2018 Honoring Nations awardees. Check it out here: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/vQXRnjOAkttAog

07/23/2026

Today, we're featuring our Nation Building Toolbox focused on our Senior Fellowship! The Joseph P. Kalt Senior Fellowship in Indigenous Governance and Development allows highly accomplished senior leaders to spend time at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. As honored representatives of their Nations, Senior Fellows are able to reflect on their careers in public service and share practical lessons in nation building with the coming generations of world leaders. Our toolboxes are online, mixed media, learning tools which can assist in meeting the needs of Indigenous leaders, allies, and decision makers. Check it out here: https://sites.google.com/view/seniorindigenousleader/home

The self-guided toolboxes enable Nation Builders to explore, develop and manage their understanding of key functions of tribal, First Nation, and other Indigenous governance structures and strategies. The Toolboxes provide Nation Builders with learning activities and resources they can use to assist Indigenous communities in their drive for self-determination. The content is supplemented with case studies, lessons learned, and first-hand explanations by fellow decision makers who have tackled the challenges of strengthening their own communities.

We can’t tell you what will work for your community, but we do hope that having access through these toolboxes to the lessons from, and experiences of, other Native nations will provide you with ideas and useable starting points as you tackle your own community’s needs.

07/21/2026

Today, we're featuring our Nation Building Toolbox focused on Tribal Justice Systems! Our toolboxes are online, mixed media, learning tools which can assist in meeting the needs of Indigenous leaders, allies, and decision makers. Assembled from the real-world experiences of hundreds of Native nations, the toolboxes serve as a central resource of information on how to implement and sustain best practices in community self-governance. They are hosted and curated by the Native Nations Institute (NNI) at the University of Arizona and the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development (Harvard Project) at Harvard University, and feature contributions of partners with valuable knowledge to share. Check it out here: https://sites.google.com/g.harvard.edu/tribal-justice-systems-toolbox/about

The self-guided toolboxes enable Nation Builders to explore, develop and manage their understanding of key functions of tribal, First Nation, and other Indigenous governance structures and strategies. The Toolboxes provide Nation Builders with learning activities and resources they can use to assist Indigenous communities in their drive for self-determination. The content is supplemented with case studies, lessons learned, and first-hand explanations by fellow decision makers who have tackled the challenges of strengthening their own communities.

We can’t tell you what will work for your community, but we do hope that having access through these toolboxes to the lessons from, and experiences of, other Native nations will provide you with ideas and useable starting points as you tackle your own community’s needs.

07/16/2026

Please join us in welcoming our 3 new Research Assistants for Summer 2026!

Tamarron Austin is a member of the Navajo Nation from New Mexico, currently pursuing a degree in Financial Mathematics and Statistics at UC Santa Barbara. His research interests center on economic development and governance in tribal nations, and he is broadly interested in applying quantitative methods to issues in Indigenous economic development across the U.S.

Ryder Cuch is a student at Dartmouth College studying Geography modified with Engineering Sciences and minoring in Architectural Design. With a strong interest in sustainable development and design, he aims to integrate geospatial technologies and research methods into a future career focused on sustainable design. Outside of academics, Ryder is also a DJ and the editor-in-chief of the Dartmouth College Radio Blog.

Garret Morgan is a sophomore at Dartmouth College with focuses in Economics and Native American and Indigenous Studies. Garret is from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and has experience working with the Winnebago Tribe’s economic development corporation, Ho-Chunk Inc., in the areas of finance, real estate, farming, and government contracting. In his free time, Garret is a member of the Occom Pond Singers, a Native student drum group at Dartmouth College.

Welcome to the team!

07/13/2026

The Harvard Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation just launched their 2026 Summer Reading Lists, and we are excited to share ours with you all! This article features recommendations from our team members Amy Medford and Jael Whitney Brothers.

https://ash.harvard.edu/articles/indigenous-governance-2026-summer-reading-list/

Address

79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA
02138

Website

https://indigenousgov.hks.harvard.edu/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_on_Indigenous_Governance_and_Development

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