The Socioeconomic Development of Greenland in the Pursuit of Economic and Political Independence
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The Socioeconomic Development of Greenland in the Pursuit of Economic and Political Independence Bachelor Project Malik Peter Koch Hansen Ilisimatusarfik Maj 2021 0 Content Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Thesis Topic .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Research Topic ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Theory .................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4 From Arctic Nomads to a Settling People .................................................................................................................................... 7 First Danish-Greenlandic Trade, Commerce, & Missionary Work ............................................................................................ 7 The Greenlandic Colony......................................................................................................................................................... 8 The First Democratic Initiatives, The Boards of Trustees ....................................................................................................... 10 Democratic Representative National & Municipality Councils ............................................................................................... 12 Greenland In the Global Spotlight ........................................................................................................................................ 13 The Ground work of the Greenland Commission of 1948 .......................................................................................................... 14 G-50, From Colony to County............................................................................................................................................... 16 G-60, Better Faster Stronger? .............................................................................................................................................. 18 Home Rule’s First Order of Business ......................................................................................................................................... 20 The Road from Disaster Aid to the Modern Nordic Welfare System ........................................................................................... 21 The Self-Government ............................................................................................................................................................... 21 Representative Government Layout .................................................................................................................................... 22 Democratic Representatives ................................................................................................................................................ 22 A Welfare Government’s Economy ........................................................................................................................................... 23 The Premier of Greenland ................................................................................................................................................... 23 The Department of Finances and Nordic Corporation ........................................................................................................... 23 The Government Income ......................................................................................................................................................... 24 Self-Government Expenditures................................................................................................................................................. 25 The Municipalities ................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Municipal Spending and Welfare .............................................................................................................................................. 27 Three Steps Between Self-Governance and Sovereignty............................................................................................................ 28 One Step Forward ............................................................................................................................................................... 30 The Second Step to Sovereignty, Economic Expansion .......................................................................................................... 32 The Third Step to Sovereignty .............................................................................................................................................. 33 Sustainable Sovereignty ........................................................................................................................................................... 35 Expanding Income ............................................................................................................................................................... 35 Tourism .............................................................................................................................................................................. 35 Mining ................................................................................................................................................................................ 36 Oil & Gas ............................................................................................................................................................................. 36 Combined Normative Potential Expansion ........................................................................................................................... 36 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................................................... 37 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................... 39 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................................ 40 1 Introduction The public sector of Greenland has evolved much from its founding stages in the 1850-60’s as 13 local boards, until today as a well-established national welfare government and five municipalities. The extend and the development of the governmental structures has largely been shaped around the philosophy of the welfare ideology. The origin of the public system in Greenland initially sprang from local initiatives which through corporations using the historic ties with the Danish State, who as a former colonizer, missionary, and commercial and pioneering explorer of Greenland had shared a fate spanning from the Middle Ages, lasting to this day, were Greenland as Kalaallit Nunaat now is exploring even more self-government while partaking in the union, that is, the Danish Realm. A majority public plea and political will to be free of Danish influence has led Greenland on the ongoing path of independence, which in political science terms is interpreted as meaning the strife for a declaration of a sovereign state. Today the Greenlandic people enjoy a strong social infrastructure and steady economic flow with the help of financial support from both Denmark and the EU. As the public sector of the nation relies heavily on the foreign aid from the membership of the Danish Realm, Greenland find itself caught in a financial struggle to claim sovereignty. The current course of Greenland in the 21st century is a continuation of a long-standing Greenlandic wish, combined with the UN agenda of 1945, which requires a responsible decolonization and furthering of self- determination in former colonies. The Inuit of Greenland, being a majority of their own country, is overwhelmingly in favor of building a sovereign state free from foreign interference in their international and domestic workings. Being tied politically, historically, and financially to the Danish Realm, the prospect for sovereignty has evolved over time from being a political and legal issue, to a financial question today. The topic of independence and economic self-sufficiency is one of the hottest topics in the political and cultural discussions in Greenland in our times. Hence as a student of social sciences, I have been inspired to pursue the topic of economic and political independence, in search of understanding of the foundation and evolution of the independence process, via the research of the historic and current developments of the Greenlandic political and government institutions, economic explorations, and the emergence and progress