Economic Policy Considerations for Deep-Sea Mining

Bypassing the normative question of whether exploration for, and mining of, deep-sea minerals is desirable, this chapter dwells on the following question: How should governments manage these resources to maximize the economic benefits to society? We use theoretical and empirical contributions in economic science to discuss matters of taxation and possible public interventions related to deep-sea mineral activities. We delve particularly on considerations related to the high uncertainty about profitability and the related lack of data about the deep-sea areas concerned as well as the possible emergence of a resource rent.