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 founda
tion for an analysis of the mineral policies that have been followed in the past, and for the pro
posed reform of these policies, three areas of relevance are identified, economic impact and longterm
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 these 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 em
ployment and town-site development.Applied Science, Faculty ofMining Engineering, Keevil Institute ofGraduat