Jul 31 2026
Faroe Islanders have a very strong sense of a distinct national identity, which has only grown stronger over the years as the Faroe Islands, under the home-rule arrangement, have become increasingly autonomous and less dependent on financial support from outside. No Faroese person doubts the fact that he or she is not “Danish,” but first …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2026/07/31/the-future-of-the-faroe-islands-after-secession/
Jul 24 2026
In small societies – like small towns, villages, tight-knit subcultures, family businesses, professional niches – social control is mostly informal. Reputation, gossip, approval, and exclusion matter more than formal law. These factors shape people and businesses in distinct ways. By Elin Brimheim Heinesen How Social Control Works in Small Societies People have a high visibility …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2026/07/24/social-control-in-small-societies/
Mar 29 2025
Fifty years of Reaganomics—laissez-faire vulture capitalism and neoliberalism—has resulted in the massive wealth gap we see today between the rich and poor in the USA and in other countries. Trillions in tax revenue have been lost due to deregulation and the dismantling of checks and balances in the system. This shift has handed disproportionate power …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2025/03/29/trickle-down-economics-doesnt-work/
Aug 13 2024
If there’s one thing most people don’t seem to understand about how money works that I think would really help governments work better in the 21st century, it’s that money does not flow in the way we perceive it does. It’s an illusion. What money actually does is pop into and out of existence in …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/08/13/how-money-is-born-out-of-public-spending-and-dies-by-taxes/
Jun 27 2024
Let’s discuss a topic that often leads to contention in the political arena: taxation, particularly when it involves property taxes and imposing higher taxes on the wealthy. Is this advantageous or disadvantageous for society? In this article, I will argue that requiring the wealthy to pay more in taxes, such as property taxes, it would …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/06/27/can-higher-taxes-ensure-more-and-cheaper-housing/
Apr 17 2024
What does a young 17-year-old Faroese maid in a small village in the Faroe Islands in 1916 have to do with a revolutionary new urine-based cleaning fluid for diesel engines? By Elin Brimheim Heinesen in Berlingske Tidende, Section 4, Sunday, 16 December 2001 On 28 September, 2001, one of the world’s leading scientific journals, New …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/04/17/what-a-load-of-piss/
Mar 05 2024
In our patriarchal society, age-old norms still dictate how men and women are supposed to be. Traditional ideas about gender influence us to expect men to be strong and stoic. Boys are told throughout their upbringing that “real men don’t cry!” and are mocked if they show weakness. The worst thing a boy can hear …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/03/05/womansplaining-the-so-called-masculinity-crisis/
Mar 13 2023
With approximately 93% of the Faroe Islands’ exports being fish products (2021), many have the impression that the fishing and fish farming industry is almost solely responsible for sustaining the country and enabling us to survive on the islands. But is this correct? This perception is also why some believe these industries hold a special …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2023/03/13/is-it-only-the-fishing-and-aquaculture-industries-that-sustain-the-faroe-islands/
Mar 20 2022
In the past, when no one had ownership rights over natural resources, all living beings, both animals and humans, shared everything collectively. No one was prevented from taking what nature provided, just as no one stops birds from living off what they find in nature. People relied on what was immediately available and had to …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2022/03/20/justification-for-the-introduction-of-an-unconditional-basic-income-guarantee/
Mar 16 2020
The wheels of society must keep turning. If they don’t, things will go wrong. In times of crisis like this, it is up to governments around the world to prove their value by taking responsibility and implementing systems to ensure that everything doesn’t come to a halt. No one should be left in a situation …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2020/03/16/the-covid-19-crisis-highlights-the-importance-of-an-economic-safety-net/
Oct 29 2015
As long as it is relatively expensive to transport people and goods between the Faroe Islands and the outside world, it will be very difficult to attract more people to the Faroe Islands and thus create a large enough basis for increased activity in the country. But if we increase transportation – for example, by …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2015/10/29/cheaper-airline-tickets-now/
Apr 04 2015
If the population is really to grow, and if Faroese people – especially women – are to remain in the Faroe Islands, the labour market and education system here must become much more accommodating. If we want more people to return and give fewer reasons to leave, we must think in a much less traditional …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2015/04/04/lack-of-conditions-for-innovation-is-driving-people-to-leave-the-faroe-islands/
Mar 29 2014
This chronicle was published in Information on July 8, 2012, and is as relevant now as ever. It’s rather thought-provoking that even prominent figures working within the financial sector recognize how the current economic system is steering society into trouble, and that it is therefore crucial to think differently. The biggest issue is that we …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2014/03/29/11613/
Aug 15 2013
By Elin Brimheim Heinesen A quarter of the total Faroese exports may be affected by the restrictions if the European Union’s sanctions against the Faroe Islands are implemented. This seems like quite severe punishment for a very small and economically vulnerable nation in the North Atlantic, totally dependent on its fishery. But according to the …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2013/08/15/what-is-the-disagreement-between-the-eu-and-the-faroe-islands-really-about/
May 23 2009
The Faroe Islands are at a crossroads. Do we want to be a modern globalised society or do we want to hold on to our traditional way of life? Or… is it possible to combine these two? A presentation held by Elin Brimheim Heinesen for Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Iceland, 23 May 2009 We …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2009/05/23/faroe-islands-at-a-crossroads/
Nov 16 2008
With former US president Bill Clinton and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore in the country’s guest book, international media coverage could be causing the Faroes to emerge from obscurity—clearing the way for effective nation branding. Búi Tyril talks to Elin Heinesen, Managing Director of SamVit, Faroe Islands Enterprise, and others. By Búi Tyril, Faroe …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2008/11/16/celebrity-visits-generate-publicity/
Mar 04 2008
The Faroe Islands have suddenly received a lot of media attention – why has this happened? Interview with Elin Heinesen, Managing Director of SamVit – Faroe Islands Enterprise (Faroe Islands Trade & Tourism Council) 4. March 2008: – These are really exciting times in the Faroe Islands. Never before in all of history, have the …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2008/03/04/whats-the-hype-about/
Nov 17 2007
The recent merger of the Trade Council and the Tourist Board into one Trade & Tourism Council is likely to remain high on the new managing director’s agenda for a while—but it doesn’t stop her from bringing scores of innovative ideas to the table. By Búi Tyril, Faroe Business Report 2007 It was widely seen as signifying at least a generational change, if …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2007/11/17/another-phase-a-new-face/
Nov 16 2007
If branding the Faroes involves setting up some spectacular tourist attraction, Elin Heinesen presented what could become the ultimate experience for domestic and foreign visitors alike—a marvel of a Cold War museum offering a majestic view of the mountain tops. By Búi Tyril, Faroe Business Report 2007 Before she had even started in her new …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2007/11/16/care-to-dine-with-a-view/
Aug 15 2007
As people living in an increasingly globalised environment the Faroese, much like the rest of the world, need to embrace change to whatever extent necessary. The ability to cooperate effectively and develop strong networks is becoming more important. And still it is crucial for us to hold on strongly to our unique identity if we …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2007/08/15/faroe-islands-the-periphery-in-the-centre/
