This paper presents the results of a preliminary study of three Nordic sub-national insular jurisdictions (SNIJs) – Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The study focuses on the relationships between the jurisdictional powers of these autonomous islands and their economic capacity relationships that reveal intriguing interdependencies that go beyond simple causal explanations. The aims of the study are a) to explore the characteristics of the relationships between jurisdictional powers and economic capacity and the ways they function in the specific insular setting b) to present the findings in such a way that the structure of each SNIJ concerning their political and economic capacity becomes clear c) to uncover, through comparative analyses, the unique as well as the common characteristics, and the strengths and weaknesses of these configurations.