We work to understand and foster the conditions under which sustained, self-determined social and economic development is achieved among American Indian nations.
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Founded in 1987 by professors Joseph P. Kalt and Stephen Cornell, the HKS Project on Indigenous Governance and Development is housed within the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School at 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, advisory services, executive education, and the administration of Honoring Nations, a national 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.