ABSTRACT
Mineral development has long been a favoured aspect of northern development planning in most parts of the circumpolar north. Circumpolar regions differ in important ways, but they share a number of fundamental characteristics. The disciplines of planning, economics and geography offer substantial research and discussion about the concept of region. The dependence on location may arise from a shared attraction to local culture, local employment centers, local natural resources, or other location-specific amenities. The economies of regions around the pole can be considered in terms of four pillars: public investment, subsistence or land-based productive activity, mineral exploitation and a variety of ‘diversifying’, generally renewable, land-based economic activities such as tourism and artistic production. Regional approaches can draw attention to entire areas affected by large natural resource developments. In most regions, public sector expenditures are a relatively untapped tool for shaping economic growth.
