Greenland & The Arctic


The processes involved in strengthening and developing small Arctic economies are becoming increasingly important in policy design and regulation. Sustainability is at the heart of the discussion for the limited number of key sectors that drive economic activity, and additional sectors which are being explored face the same environmental scrutiny.

Arctic economies continue to attract attention globally. Their relatively small economies must therefore navigate the complex reality of doing business with larger countries and their associated economic influences.

Our team works with private and public sector clients in the areas of Greenland, Arctic fisheries, and mining to provide insight on these issues. With a long history of working in the region and a comprehensive portfolio of successful projects to our name, Copenhagen Economics is the natural choice for any consultancy work in the Arctic. Experts at economic modelling and sector analysis, our services range from advising governments on efficient policy design and regulation to guiding private clients on strategy and impact analyses.

Are you interested in the state of the Greenlandic economy? Follow our biannual Business Survey Greenland

We help our clients with

  • We help you evaluate and design policies in the reality of small, Arctic economies, a task that can often prove problematic due to the limited number of sectors driving economic activity. The mechanisms of these economies may therefore differ from traditionally larger economies and an innovative approach is therefore required.
  • Our team is specialised in analysing and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of how small Arctic economies function. This insight helps us in advising governments and private clients on efficient policy design as well as strategy and impact analyses.

  • The increasing popularity of market-based fishery management such as the ITQ system has brought rationalisation, increased efficiency and profitability to the industry. Regulation has, however, increased the quota concentration and taken its toll on traditional small-scale fisheries, thereby reducing employment opportunities in rural areas that have traditionally been heavily dependent on the fishing industry.
  • These worrying trends are raising political concerns all over the Nordics. Governments and NGOs are considering ways to safeguard the livelihoods of small-scale fishermen, sometimes at the expense of market-based mechanisms and overall economic value creation.
  • Our team is specialised in advising governments and private clients on quota and license auction design, reform strategies in the fishing industry and in using economic modelling to clarify the trade-offs between economic efficiency and political objectives.

  • The commercial reality of exploration and mining companies is becoming increasingly complex. A heightened focus on the sustainability of the sector, both from an environmental and political perspective, has made the processes of acquiring permits considerably longer and more unpredictable. As a result, the expected value of assets becomes uncertain, and companies must find ways to reduce regulatory risk as they develop their assets through activities such as geological studies. Similarly, host countries must achieve a careful balance between ensuring transparent regulatory frameworks to remain attractive to investors while simultaneously fostering sustainable development in the industry.
  • We use economics and regulatory insight to help our clients navigate and regulate the metals and minerals landscape. Our team of experts is specialised in the economics and regulation of mining and have experience working with public and private clients across the Nordics and the Arctic.

OUR OTHER SERVICES