Research | Forskning - peer review

Greenland’s economy is predominantly reliant on its fishing industry. The continuous melt of the Greenland ice sheet due to climate change and the resultant environmental impact in the arctic is pressuring the fishing industry to adapt to a new environment. This chapter sheds light on how major stak… Greenland’s economy is predominantly reliant on its fishing industry. The continuous melt of the Greenland ice sheet due to climate change and the resultant environmental impact in the arctic is pressuring the fishing industry to adapt to a new environment. This chapter sheds light on how major stakeholders in the Greenlandic fishing industry envision environmental, economic, and social adaptation of fisheries and their overall supply chain operations. Using a qualitative methodology based on a series of semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders in the Greenlandic fishery, the chapter illustrates how the adaptive capacity of the industry has unfolded in recent years, and how it has begun to generate relevant adaptive capabilities. It explores how adaptive capacity in Greenland may facilitate a clearer path for the consolidation of sustainable supply chain management. The analysis ultimately seeks to understand how the Greenlandic fishing industry has perceived the integration of the international best practices incorporating the three pillars of sustainability to develop a sustainable supply chain management. The findings suggest that the maritime logistic operations of Greenland’s fisheries are slowly moving towards sustainability despite key trade-offs among stakeholders associated with the social dimension that involves the promotion of employment stability and the inclusion of local knowledge. Read more

Research | Forskning - peer review

This article examines the conceptualization of nation-building in Greenland, challenging conventional views on sovereignty and suggesting an imminent emergence of an alternate governance model in the Arctic region. Drawing on the decoloniality perspective, we explore the Inuit myth, which suggests a… This article examines the conceptualization of nation-building in Greenland, challenging conventional views on sovereignty and suggesting an imminent emergence of an alternate governance model in the Arctic region. Drawing on the decoloniality perspective, we explore the Inuit myth, which suggests a unique connection of the Inuit to the Arctic environment and asserts their status as natural stewards of the region with special rights based on their cultural and political identity. We argue that this understanding of sovereignty has important implications not only for its departure from conventional Western notions of state formation but also for its potential to create alternative governance structures that do not reinforce existing political hegemonies from the “West”. We further analyze how the legacy of colonialism in Greenland has impacted power and gender relations in the region and has fueled a distinctive sense of nationalism that differs from those seen in the West. The article discusses how the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) is playing a major role in promoting an alternative political legitimacy model against the conventional approach of nation-building. We note that the ICC depends on the maintenance of political myths which have evolved over time. We conclude by suggesting that conventional perspectives on state formation must be revised to incorporate the historical experiences and knowledge of Indigenous peoples, and that further exploration of alternative governance structures is needed. Read more

Research | Forskning - peer review

Over the past decade, Greenland has lifted and restored its ban on uranium mining amid the uncertainty of global uranium prices. This article investigates the dynamic interrelations between uranium commodity prices and the impacts of structural shocks, sketching key economic implications for Greenla… Over the past decade, Greenland has lifted and restored its ban on uranium mining amid the uncertainty of global uranium prices. This article investigates the dynamic interrelations between uranium commodity prices and the impacts of structural shocks, sketching key economic implications for Greenland. Using a structural vector autoregressive model, this work analyses the changing relations between uranium prices, coal prices as well as real and financial variables from 1980 to 2019. The main findings are that the dynamics of uranium spot prices are diversely affected by shocks in combined real GDP, total electricity production from nuclear power, the interest rate, the real effective exchange rate, and the price of coal. The estimates also show that the pricing dynamics are important for future production and capital investment decisions. The analysis illustrates that despite the prevailing depressed uranium market, Greenland can still capitalize on future market developments. The country can anticipate benefiting from a short-run world supply disruption, a positive combination of macroeconomic shocks, and the long-term expansion of nuclear energy programs. Read more

Research | Forskning - peer review

The long-term economic performance of Greenland has been shaped by factors like climate change and global commodity prices but more importantly by the change and persistence of economic and political institutions. This chapter discusses the combination of these factors ranging from natural-resource… The long-term economic performance of Greenland has been shaped by factors like climate change and global commodity prices but more importantly by the change and persistence of economic and political institutions. This chapter discusses the combination of these factors ranging from natural-resource transitions, historical legacies, and state developmental policies. It provides a general overview to understand the interplay of endogenous and exogenous factors that have influenced the historical evolution of the Greenlandic economy. Read more

Research | Forskning - peer review

The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis assumes there is an inverted U-shape relationship between pollution and income per capita, implying an improvement in environmental quality when a growing economy reaches a high level of economic development. This study evaluated empirically the exist… The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis assumes there is an inverted U-shape relationship between pollution and income per capita, implying an improvement in environmental quality when a growing economy reaches a high level of economic development. This study evaluated empirically the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve in Greenland for the period 1970–2018. Using an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach, the results show evidence of a U-shaped EKC in Greenland instead of the hypothesized inverted U-shape. The findings indicate that Greenland had initially experienced a decoupling transition during an early development stage associated with structural conditions of a small subsistence economy. However, once the country began to expand its industry, the trend began to reverse, creating a positive and significant relationship between CO2 emissions and GDP per capita that are potentially detrimental to the Arctic natural environment. Read more

Research | Forskning

In this paper I analyse historical interpretations and elements of the coloniality of power and gender in the historiography of Greenland. I discuss new uses and methods of analysis looking to describe historical documents without reinforcing the Eurocentric view within them. Moreover, I employ Prot… In this paper I analyse historical interpretations and elements of the coloniality of power and gender in the historiography of Greenland. I discuss new uses and methods of analysis looking to describe historical documents without reinforcing the Eurocentric view within them. Moreover, I employ Protestant church’s historical registers of marriages of various Greenlandic towns (Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Qeqertasuaq and Aasiaat) to explore issues of gender inequality during the colonial period seeking to disentangle modern presumptions of colonial gender relations in Greenland. Read more

Research | Forskning - peer review

Seminal literature has documented broadly the living conditions of Mexican workers before the Revolution of 1910. Various authors argue that a continuous deterioration of real wages in the preceding years of the Mexican revolution contributed to the social unrest that lead to the armed conflict. Yet… Seminal literature has documented broadly the living conditions of Mexican workers before the Revolution of 1910. Various authors argue that a continuous deterioration of real wages in the preceding years of the Mexican revolution contributed to the social unrest that lead to the armed conflict. Yet, most of the quantitative evidence has focused on aggregate estimates overlooking the regional wage dynamics. Through regional historical data, this article reevaluates quantitatively the patterns of Mexican regional real wages providing new estimates for the period 1877-c.1910. The analysis reveals that a divergent pattern between sectors and regions emerged during these years. However, the study also shows that in general, locally-adjusted regional real wages remained relatively stable throughout the period. Read more

Research | Forskning - peer review

This paper examines the long-run fiscal sustainability of the colonial finances of Spanish America. Using econometric tests of intertemporal stability and a macroeconomic budget constraint framework, the analysis revisits how the long-run fiscal dynamics of the colonial treasuries adjusted for infla… This paper examines the long-run fiscal sustainability of the colonial finances of Spanish America. Using econometric tests of intertemporal stability and a macroeconomic budget constraint framework, the analysis revisits how the long-run fiscal dynamics of the colonial treasuries adjusted for inflation changed over time. Findings suggest that in spite of historical breakpoints associated to major financial difficulties during wartime, in general the treasuries achieved sustainable fiscal balances. However, there was a shifting pattern of fiscal sustainability between the treasuries across the colonial period. Read more

Research | Forskning - peer review

The long-term productivity dynamics of Latin America have been the focus of vast research looking to understand the origins of the growth underperformance of the region. Based on new estimates from official industrial censuses from 1935 to 1975, this paper reassesses whether there was a process of s… The long-term productivity dynamics of Latin America have been the focus of vast research looking to understand the origins of the growth underperformance of the region. Based on new estimates from official industrial censuses from 1935 to 1975, this paper reassesses whether there was a process of structural change within the manufacturing industries of Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. It presents a quantitative reassessment of the dynamics of productivity in these industries providing a new decomposition of labor productivity growth at a more disaggregated level. The overall results from a shift-share analysis are unable to find substantial evidence of structural change within manufacturing in these countries over the period. Read more

Research | Forskning

This article revisits the key developments of the experience of Latin American countries with structural economic reforms since the decade of the 1980s. It discusses the historical and policy dilemmas that these countries have faced upon the economic consequences of the policy presc… This article revisits the key developments of the experience of Latin American countries with structural economic reforms since the decade of the 1980s. It discusses the historical and policy dilemmas that these countries have faced upon the economic consequences of the policy prescriptions from the so-called ‘Washington Consensus’. It is argued that despite the initial meager benefits from these policies, recent economic progress can be seen as redemption for the region. Read more

Research | Forskning

The Danish colonial project in Greenland during the nineteenth century has been subject to a polarizing debate in the current Danish and Greenlandic public sphere. On the one hand, there are observers depicting the colonial administration as a benevolent and socially-inclusive, whereas others regard… The Danish colonial project in Greenland during the nineteenth century has been subject to a polarizing debate in the current Danish and Greenlandic public sphere. On the one hand, there are observers depicting the colonial administration as a benevolent and socially-inclusive, whereas others regard it as a socially-exclusive regime. Using a newly collected dataset of Protestant mission’s marriage registers from four West Greenlandic towns (Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Qeqertasuaq and Aasiaat) this paper investigates empirically the hypothesis whether Greenlanders experienced an upward intergenerational occupational mobility over the colonial period. The analysis identifies fathers and sons (grooms) occupational attainment to document quantitatively how the structure of the labor market changed over time. We discuss how the colonial labor market became a key ladder for social mobility after the introduction of administrative reforms and a new institutional agenda in the second half of the nineteenth century. We add to the literature by providing further evidence on the link between historical social mobility and the emergence of inclusive institutions in an arctic indigenous society. Read more

Research | Forskning

During the early-modern period, women in Western European countries began to marry at an older age. This historical observation is known as the (Western) European Marriage Pattern (EMP). As a result, the position and agency of women arose by enhancing human capital formation and by encouraging women… During the early-modern period, women in Western European countries began to marry at an older age. This historical observation is known as the (Western) European Marriage Pattern (EMP). As a result, the position and agency of women arose by enhancing human capital formation and by encouraging women and girls access to wage labor. These developments coincided with the arrival of Christian missionaries to colonized areas and the diffusion of European cultural traits. Only a few historical studies have found whether the characteristics of the EMP ‘traveled’ outside of North-Western Europe. While existing literature on this phenomenon has typically focused on European countries and peripheries, regions in the Arctic have been neglected. This paper uses the Protestant church’s historical records of marriages of various Greenlandic towns (Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Qeqertasuaq, and Aasiaat) to explore whether the marriage patterns in colonial Greenland exhibited characteristics of the EMP. It discusses how the gender division of society changed with the creation of the Danish trade monopoly and how the subsequent development of colonial labor markets may have affected the marriage decisions of Greenlandic women. It concludes analyzing the potential underlying mechanisms and causes of the existence (or absence) of the EMP in colonial Greenland. Read more