Other types in the United States[edit]
States and local governments[edit]
There exists a second level of
sovereign government in the United States which coexists with the federal government: the individual
states of the United States. The vast majority of non-governmental corporations in the United States are chartered by the states of the United States.[
citation needed] This includes most charitable corporations, non-profit corporations, and for-profit corporations. States also have the power to charter corporations that
they own, control, or are responsible for the regulation and finance of. These include
municipal corporations and state chartered and owned corporations. State government-chartered and -owned corporations are numerous and provide public services. Examples include
North Dakota Mill and Elevator and
South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Generally speaking, a
statute passed by a
state legislature specifically sets up a government-owned company in order to undertake a specific public purpose with public funds or public property.
Lotteries in the United States are also run by government corporations, such as the
Georgia Lottery Corporation and many others.[
citation needed]
Tribal and indigenous governments[edit]
There also exists a third level of
sovereign government in the United States: the sovereignty of the
Native American tribal governments. As such, the Native American (including
Alaska Native) tribal governments have the power to charter corporations and undertake public undertakings that might benefit their citizens, Native Americans are therefore not only citizens of their particular tribes, but also citizens of their respective U.S. states, and
of the United States. For example, a tribal council could establish a public service broadcaster along the lines of Ireland's
Raidió Teilifís Éireann, partially-fund it with a
television license on tribal land, and make up the difference through advertising, thereby making it both a means of uniting the tribe and giving it a voice and a commercial venture by the tribe.
The
Alaska Natives are particularly advanced in using their tribal sovereignty to incorporate corporations that are owned by and for the benefit of their tribal citizens and often compete in highly competitive economic sectors through the
Alaska Native Regional Corporations. The Native American tribes in the 48 contiguous states often use their sovereignty and their ability to charter to compete using regulatory easements; for instance, Native American tribal corporations often trade in goods that are highly taxed in surrounding states (such as
tobacco), or engage in activities that surrounding states have (for reasons of public policy) forbidden, such as the operation of
casinos or other gaming establishments. Most of these endeavors have proven very successful for Native American tribal sovereigns and their tribal corporations, bringing wealth into the hands of Native Americans.
