Economic and Community Development

This Is What Capacity Looks Like: Building Development Muscle in Rural and Native Nation Communities

Producer
The Aspen Institute
Year

It is often said that rural and tribal communities and organizations need more capacity to fully engage or solve problems in their regions. But what, exactly, equals “capacity”? What key components of capacity need to be carefully and intentionally strengthened so that locally led organizations in rural and Native nation communities can more effectively strengthen economies, health and livelihoods for all in their regions? What does it take for rural and tribal organizations to build capacity, and what barriers stand in the way?

Watch this video by the Aspen Institute to hear answers to these questions from national technical assistance providers, Indigenous leaders, and local rural development innovators. Gain insight that can help understand and explain capacity in plain(er) terms – and contribute your perspective to the mix. This event was held in conjunction with the Housing Assistance Council’s national conference.

Event resources

Featuring:

Shonterria Charleston, Director of Training and Technical Assistance, The Housing Assistance Council

Miriam Jorgensen, Research Director, Native Nations Institute & Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development

Cheryal Lee-Hills, Executive Director, Region Five Development Commission

Linetta Gilbert, Managing Partner, Gilbert and Associates

Native Nation Building: It Helps Rural America Thrive

Year

This second paper in the Aspen Institute's Thrive Rural Field Perspectives series shows that when tribes center sovereignty, Indigenous institutions and culture in their development processes they increase the probability of reaching their development goals and can build community wealth that is more in line with tribal values and lifeways. The authors also highlight how Native nations and rural communities, working both side-by-side and together, can strengthen the potential for thriving rural regions.

Resource Type
Citation

M Jorgensen & S Gutierrez. 2021. Native nation building: It helps rural America thrive. Community Strategies Group, Aspen Institute, Washington, DC. November.

Investing in Rural Prosperity Chapter 7: Native America x Rural America: Tribal Nations as Key Players in Regional Rural Economies

Year

The seventh chapter in Investing in Rural Prosperity, "Native America x Rural America: Tribal Nations as Key Players in Regional Rural Economies", outlines the diversity of Native nations, including with respect to governmental structure and economic opportunity. It also explores the history and evolution of Native economies, the effect that European colonization and U.S. government policy have had on economic opportunity in Indian Country, and efforts by Native people to improve Native economic prosperity. The authors highlight ongoing challenges to improving Native economies, including the still small on-reservation private and nonprofit sectors, and the need for continued improvements in creating business friendly legal infrastructure and access to capital. The chapter concludes by showcasing instances in which cooperation between Native nations and nearby non-Native communities have led to improved quality of life for both and proposes that increased regional collaboration could result in substantial mutual gains for both tribal and rural communities.

Investing in Rural Prosperity, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, seeks to help rural individuals and communities achieve shared economic prosperity. By outlining a framework for how to approach rural development successfully and showcasing stories of progress in different communities—as well as highlighting recommendations for action by policymakers, practitioners, funders and researchers—the editors and authors hope to advance this important goal.

The book includes contributions from 79 authors in the United States and abroad, representing financial institutions, nonprofits, philanthropies, academia and government agencies. The chapters touch on a wide range of topics, including entrepreneurship support, workforce development, energy efficient manufactured housing, and digital inclusion. The book delves into the challenges of our past and the promise of our future. Ultimately, Investing in Rural Prosperity is a call to action, so we can realize that promise—together.

The views expressed in the book do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or the Federal Reserve System.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Jorgensen, Miriam, and Joan Timeche. “Investing in Rural Prosperity Chapter 7: Native America x Rural America: Tribal Nations as Key Players in Regional Rural Economies” Saint Louis Fed Eagle, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 23 Nov. 2021, https://www.stlouisfed.org/community-development/publications/invest-in-rural

 

 

Strengthening Financial Avenues in Native American Communities

Year

Historically, Native communities defined currencies by their food, relationships, nature and tools to sustain a living. Over time, Native and Indigenous populations gave way to the use of paper money. These new social standards pushed them to adopt different ways to sustain their living, often, outside their reservations and communities, which may be critical in building wealth.

Many studies and reports point to poor choices, failure to conform to government policies and lack of knowledge on managing funds as reasons Native communities remain in poverty, which may not be the case. Several factors may contribute to money challenges Natives face in their communities. Learning more about how some Native communities build wealth and the financial challenges they face can help create a more equitable financial foundation for communities across the country...

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Bolton, D. J. (2021, May 27). Strengthening Financial Avenues in Native American Communities. Money Geek. Retrieved from: https://www.moneygeek.com/financial-planning/financial...

Navigating the ARPA: A Series for Tribal Nations. Episode 3: A Conversation with Bryan Newland - How Tribes Can Maximize their American Rescue Plan Opportunities

Year

From setting tribal priorities, to building infrastructure, to managing and sustaining projects, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) presents an unprecedented opportunity for the 574 federally recognized tribal nations to use their rights of sovereignty and self-government to strengthen their communities. As the tribes take on the challenges presented by the Act, the Ash Center’s Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development is hosting a series designed to assist tribes, to help tribes learn from each other and from a wide array of guest experts. During this discussion, the third in the series, each panelist presentation will be followed by a brief Q+A session to maximize the opportunities for audience participation.

This session is titled “A Conversation with Bryan Newland – How Tribes Can Maximize their American Rescue Plan Opportunities” and will feature:

  • Bryan Newland, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs U.S. Department of Interior
  • Del Laverdure, Attorney and Former Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior
  • Moderated by Karen Diver HKS 2003, M.P.A., Board of Governors, Honoring Nations, Harvard Project.

Presentation slides:  U.S. Treasury Deadline Update

 

Indigenous entrepreneurship: How Indigenous knowing, being and doing shapes entrepreneurial practice

Year

This chapter introduces the concept and practice of entrepreneurship from an Indigenous perspective. The focus is on understanding what Indigenous entrepreneurship is, where it comes from and how it is understood and practiced in different contexts by people of diverse cultures, languages, histories and circumstances. The goal of the chapter is to help you understand the uniqueness of Indigenous entrepreneurship, and from this understanding form your own views on what it is, how it has developed and how it can be achieved and supported in your region. The chapter argues that Indigenous entrepreneurship is part of a distinctive approach to engaging in enterprise and economic development that is present in many countries and all continents.

This approach involves integrating Indigenous and non-Indigenous worldviews, knowledge and practice to achieve Indigenous development aspirations. Indigenous entrepreneurship adheres to the Indigenous view that human beings and the natural environment share a common origin and are, therefore, interrelated—with one depending on the other for their survival and wellbeing. This view refers to the principle of social and ecological interdependency. This means that, in order to live well, natural resources must be managed sustainably, taking only what one needs.

An example of this is the replenishing of fish stocks and plant life through cultural practices of prohibition and regeneration, which are collective responsibilities. This principle has ancient origins and has helped Indigenous peoples live in harmony with their environments, satisfying their peoples’ need for food and materials for their livelihoods. This is a traditional view of socioecological balance that has evolved into sustainable development and has subsequently been given serious consideration internationally among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. It is relevant to all aspects of our lives, at home, at work, in school, government, industry and community in order to cope with, and recover from, the effects of widespread pollution, environmental degradation and climate change.

The chapter introduces and explores Indigenous entrepreneurship in five sections: (1) Indigenous peoples; (2) Indigenous entrepreneurship theory; (4) Indigenous entrepreneurship practice and (5) enterprise assistance. The chapter includes five cases of Indigenous entrepreneurship—three M¯aori entrepreneurs from Aotearoa New Zealand and two Native American entrepreneurs from the United States of America.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Mika Jason, P. (2020). Indigenous entrepreneurship: How Indigenous knowing, being and doing shapes entrepreneurial practice. In D. Deakins & J. M. Scott (Eds.), Entrepreneurship: A contemporary & globla approach (pp. 1-32). Sage. https://study.sagepub.com/deakins/student-resources/e-chapter-on-indigenous-entrepreneurship

Indigenous Data in the Covid-19 Pandemic: Straddling Erasure, Terrorism, and Sovereignty

Year

On April 10, 2020, Covid-19 case rates on tribal lands were more than four times the rate in the United States.1 Indigenous Peoples across the country continue to be disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. As of May 18, 2020, the Navajo Nation has the highest Covid-19 case rates surpassing New York, the pandemic’s epicenter in the United States. As the virus spreads, Indigenous Peoples and nations in the United States face stark disparities in accessing resources to protect their communities—not the least of which relate to data. Examples of data dependency and data terrorism continue to reveal themselves during the pandemic. At the same time, Indigenous nations, scholars, and activists are amplifying Indigenous rights and interests in Covid-19-related data. By asserting Indigenous data sovereignty—the right of Indigenous Peoples and nations to govern data about their peoples, lands, and resources2—Indigenous Peoples are focused on tribal control of tribal data and demand visibility in the disaggregation of national, state, and county data to combat the pervasive erasure of Indigenous Peoples due to inadequate data efforts.

Resource Type
Citation

Carroll, Stephanie Russo; Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear; Randall Akee; Annita Lucchesi; and Jennifer Rai Richards. Indigenous Data in the Covid-19 Pandemic: Straddling Erasure, Terrorism, and Sovereignty. June 11, 2020: Social Sciences Research Council.

Interview with Dr. Stephanie Carroll about New Research on COVID-19 Spread in Indian Country

Producer
Native Nations Institute
Year

Listen to public health researcher Stephanie Carroll, co-author of “American Indian Reservations and COVID-19: Correlates of Early Infection Rates in the Pandemic.” Hear about this new research showing which factors, like household plumbing and language barriers, correlate with a higher spread of the virus, and policy recommendations to address these factors.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Native Nations Institute. "Interview with Dr. Stephanie Carroll about New Research on COVID-19 Spread in Indian Country." May 1, 2020. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m26M9O_KUYE, accessed July 25, 2023)

Articulating ‘free, prior and informed consent’ (FPIC) for engineered gene drives

Year

Recent statements by United Nations bodies point to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) as a potential requirement in the development of engineered gene drive applications. As a concept developed in the context of protecting Indigenous rights to self-determination in land development scenarios, FPIC would need to be extended to apply to the context of ecological editing. Without an explicit framework of application, FPIC could be interpreted as a narrowly framed process of community consultation focused on the social implications of technology, and award little formal or advisory power indecision-making to Indigenous peoples and local communities. In this paper, we argue for an articulation of FPIC that attends to issues of transparency, iterative community-scale consent, and shared power through co-development among Indigenous peoples, local communities, researchers and technology developers. In realizing a comprehensive FPIC process, researchers and developers have an opportunity to incorporate enhanced participation and social guidance mechanisms into the design, development and implementation of engineered gene drive applications.

Resource Type
Citation

George DR, Kuiken T, Delborne JA. 2019. Articulating ‘free, prior and informed consent’ (FPIC) for engineered gene drives. Proc. R. Soc. B286: 20191484. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.1484

Harvard Project: COVID-19 Resources for Indian Country Toolbox

Year

As the country responds to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the task before tribal nations is complicated by many unknowns. The Harvard Project recognizes the challenges you're up against and we want to help. We are not experts in the health consequences of the pandemic, but we are monitoring tribal governments' response to the crisis. Across Indian Country, we are witnessing tribal leaders and national Native organizations taking action to protect and position Native nations to see a better tomorrow. These examples and many more make up the contents of this COVID-19 Resources for Indian Country toolbox. We've pulled together resources that demonstrate ways to build governance capacity, illustrate best practices by tribes, provide trusted information about the virus itself, and supply tribal health ordinances intended to meet your immediate needs. Native nation building begins with strong governance, and we hope the examples in this toolbox spark ideas for action that strengthens your community.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

The Harvard Kennedy School Project on Indigenous Governance and Development. "COVID-19 Resources for Indian Country." November 2021. Online Toolkit. (https://sites.google.com/g.harvard.edu/covid-19-resources/..., accessed May 31, 2023.)