SCOTLAND'S ECONOMY AFTER 25 YEARS OF DEVOLUTION

Prior to devolution, a significant majority of Scots believed that their new parliament would greatly improve the performance of the Scottish economy. We show that, in the subsequent twenty-five years, performance has been mixed. In some areas, Scotland's relative economic performance has improved particularly relative to an increasingly unequal UK economic model. But against key international competitors, and in areas where the parliament has levers to improve performance - such as in exports, business growth, investment, and entrepreneurship - Scotland's economy continues to lag. This is despite a raft of strategies, working groups and action plans. In reality beyond the presentation, policy agendas have remained remarkably similar to where they were back in 1999. Some exceptions exist, including most notably a greater weight upon the environment. But the lack of rigorous evaluation or review of delivery of strategy suggests that, in many ways, the economics of devolution has been more about style than substance.