Sovereignty as a site of innovation: Institutional entrepreneurship in Native American tribal nations

The sovereign right of self-governance for Native nations has been both contentious and unevenly applied throughout its deeply rooted history in the United States. As a vital aspect of tribal sovereignty, this research explores the outcomes of entrepreneurial self-determination of Native American Tribes. Using a mixed methods approach, our study leans on qualitative interviews of 18 tribal leaders to catalyze a quantitative analysis consisting of data from 161 Native American Tribes collected from the US Federal Register, the National Indian Gaming Commission, and from a Freedom of Information Act request of the US Department of Interior. Data are used to better understand the role that entrepreneurial self-determination plays in Native American Tribes and its effects on economic and cultural sovereignty. What we find is that the institution of sovereignty itself is a site of innovation, where tribal leaders are not only defending but innovating it, reinterpreting what it means and how it functions through modern entrepreneurial mechanisms. The research contributes to innovation policy and institutional theory by theorizing sovereignty as a contested institution that is reshaped by entrepreneurial self-determination under conditions of institutional multiplicity. • Sovereignty is an evolving institution continually shaped through innovation and tribal governance. • Entrepreneurial self-determination reshapes sovereignty’s boundaries and highlights sovereignty-as-innovation. • Tribal leaders work in institutional voids, adapting dominant economic models to local realities. • Institutional entrepreneurship in Native Nations tests boundaries through bricolage and hybridized logics. • Innovating sovereignty can bring economic gains but may involve significant cultural tradeoffs for tribes.