SELECTED THESES ON THE CIRCUMPOLAR ARCTIC

The present document analyzes the economy of Greenland, a Danish self-governing territory, and highlights the narrow resource base of the Greenlandic economy. To provide the foundation for an analysis of the mineral policies that have been followed in the past, and for the proposed reform of these policies, three areas of relevance are identified: economic impact and long-term sustainability, taxation and economic regulation, and technical regulation. In each of these areas, the literature is analyzed and a range of practical solutions are surveyed. A detailed analysis of past and present mineral policy in Greenland is conducted, which concludes that investment is insufficient, and that the structure of the policy is unsuitable in a number of areas. Based on the conclusions, and on the analysis carried out in the three areas identified, a completely new policy is proposed. This proposal includes both a detailed part dealing with the direct management issues relevant to the drafting of a new mining law, and a more general discussion of the wider management issues, including management of mineral rent under the special revenue sharing principle between Greenland and Denmark, as well as employment and town-site development.