Erica M. Dingman
Though the Government of Greenland has its sights on independence through subsurface resource development, numerous impediments may stand in the way of realizing such a future based on a trajectory that depends on rapid foreign investment, favorable market conditions and robust community support. Markets are fickle to say the least, but the value that community members place on cultural, social and traditional economic factors may well unleash public debate into the very nature of the Greenlandic democracy. Indeed, the rising demand for informed and transparent public debate would suggest that unbridled development will not easily come to light without the inclusion of those who are most affected by resource extraction. Focusing on a mounting division between the educated urban elite and less educated rural community members, this article will examine Greenlandic development in the context of equalizing economic, political and social opportunities as primary conditions of democracy.
