If Scotland were to vote for independence in 2014, the choice of currency would affect much more than the notes and coins Scots would use in their everyday lives. The currency adopted by the newly independent state would shape its economy, influence its trading links and play a crucial role in determining how the financial…
Prof. Ken Gibb, Professor in Housing Economics, Urban Studies I have not yet read the White Paper (I suspect like many). I have read the short version and many post publication blogs. These have focused on the big questions regarding the currency, the EU and the policy pledges offered in the light of a ‘yes’…
Political stakes are high on the front-line of public services. Professionals working in sectors such as education, health and social care function as the interface between the public and the public sector, their capacity to fulfil their duty of care a key component of modern state legitimacy. The fact that these services occupy the space…
Authors: John McLaren and Jo Armstrong Contributing Editor: Ken Gibb This Briefing Note starts by considering the implications for Scotland from the 2013 UK Spending Review (SR) and, in particular, the confusing multiplicity of ways to calculate how the 2015-16 settlement compares with that for 2014-15. The Note then puts the new 2013 Spending Review into perspective by…
Catherine Schenk, Professor of International Economic History, talks about the possibilities for an independent Scotland’s monetary presence in a globalised economy.
By Professor Ronald MacDonald, Research Professor of Macroeconomics and International Finance, Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow In this paper, Professor Ronald MacDonald takes on the role of a ‘virtual consultant’ to a potentially independent Scotland. What should the exchange rate regime of an independent Scotland look like? MacDonald argues that the current proposal…
By Dr Phillips O’Brien, Director of the Scottish Centre for War Studies at the University of Glasgow. Defence is one of the most contentious issues in the independence debate, with the fate of the naval bases at Faslane and Coulport – and the future of the British nuclear weapons sited there – dominating discussion so…
Introduction to a research project by Professor Stephen White focusing on the relationship between social inequality and political stability in China and Russia.