Indigenous Governance Database
Teaching Cases and Materials
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Self-Determination and Governance Are Related"
Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development Co-Director Stephen Cornell stresses the importance of Native nations exercising sovereignty effectively over time as an important way to defend their sovereignty.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Defending Sovereignty Through Its Effective Exercise"
Native leaders speak to the notion that Native nations' best defense of their sovereignty is the demonstration of their ability to exercise that sovereignty effectively.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Administrative Competence"
NNI Executive Director Joan Timeche discusses the need for Native nations to develop administrative competence through the cultivation, attraction and retention of qualified staff.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "The Role of Bureaucracies in Nation Building"
Native leaders discuss the critical role that bureaucracies play in Native nations' efforts to achieve their nation-building and community development priorities.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Clarifying Roles and Delegating Responsibility"
Native leaders discuss the need for Native nations to define the distinct roles of elected leaders and administrators, and the importance of leaders delegating responsibilities to those appropriately charged with day-to-day administraion.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "What Effective Bureaucracies Need"
Native leaders offer their perspectives on the key characteristics that Native nation bureaucracies need to possess in order to be effective.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Strategic Clarity"
NNI Executive Director Joan Timeche stresses the importance of Native nations having strategic clarity in the development and operation of effective bureaucracies.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Learning to Make Informed Decisions"
Native leaders share what the role of a leader entails from studying the history of the tribe to listening to and learning from elders of the community; all the tools necessary to making informed decisions.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "The Strategic Approach to Leadership"
Native leaders discuss why it is important for Native nation leaders to take a strategic approach to leadership, stressing that the decisions they make must be made with the culture and values of their people and the next seven generations in mind.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Leaders Are Educators"
Native leaders and scholars stress that for Native nation leaders to be effective at advancing their nation's priorities, they need to do more than just make decisions -- they need to educate and consult the citizens they serve.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "The Challenges of Leadership"
Native leaders and scholars discuss some of the many formidable challenges facing leaders of Native nations, from the incredible demands on their time to the vast array of things they need to know and learn.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Small Businesses and the Multiplier Effect"
NNI Executive Director Joan Timeche talks about the positive impact of citizen-owned businesses on reservation economies, not just in terms of economic development but in the overall quality of life for tribal citizens.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "The Benefits of Intergovernmental Relations"
Former Nez Perce Tribal Treasurer Jaime Pinkham discusses the concrete benefits of engaging in intergovernmental relations for Native nations.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Intergovernmental Agreements Are Nation-Building Tools"
Former Nez Perce Tribal Treasurer Jaime Pinkham discusses how intergovernmental agreements are becoming widely recognized as a vital nation-building tool for Native nations, amplifying their sovereignty and expanding their jurisdiction.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "The Citizen Potawatomi Nation's Path to Self-Determination"
Professor Joseph P. Kalt describes the dramatic rebirth of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, citing its development of capable governance as the key to its economic development success.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "What Do We Mean When We Say 'Constitutions'?"
Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development Co-Director Joseph P. Kalt provides a definition of 'constitutions' in the context of nation building.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Remaking the Tools of Governance: What Can Native Nations Do?"
Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development Co-Director Stephen Cornell discusses the need for Native nations to reclaim and remake their tools of governance in order to meet the nation-building challenges they face today.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Giving the Justice System the Support It Needs"
Native leaders and scholars share some critical ways that Native nations can support their justice systems to ensure their effectiveness.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Justice Systems: Key Assets for Nation Building"
Professor Robert A. Williams, Jr. discusses how an effective, independent justice system can play a pivotal role in a Native nation's efforts to exercise its sovereignty and strengthen its communities.
From the Rebuilding Native Nations Course Series: "Test: Does Your Nation Have an Independent Judiciary?"
Professor Robert A. Williams, Jr. shares a short test to help a Native nation and its leaders and citizens determine whether or not their judicial system is truly independent.