Suchergebnisse

Drawing on studies and expertise from around the world, this book describes the transition from research to policy and covers the pre-requisites to successful new firm formation policies. At a time when a new firm formation is promoted by central and local government, business development agencies and the private sector, this book questions the economic dependence on small firms and explores the relevance of networking, information and advice

Scotland has been addressing the highest European concentrations of land ownership through land reform legislation, encouraging communities to buy out the lairds. Collective efforts to take ownership of the commons are explored through application of theories on governance, regional development and institutions. Experiences of Inner and Outer Hebridean islanders under private and then community ownership, paying special attention to the case of the Isle of Eigg, are considered. Their collective tenacity, flexibility and confidence in securing a community future despite continuing challenges to remote small island living are offered as keystone examples from Scotland of small island enterprise, social development and collective community actions.

Prior to devolution, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each had their own autonomous development organisations to undertake and promote regional economic planning and development within their respective territories. These operated within a national UK regional policy framework. An expectation of devolution was that the development organisations would continue to evolve in different ways according to the prevailing and anticipated economic conditions and differentiated needs and priorities of the regional economies. Indeed, the model was further extended. In England, for example, regional development agencies were established as an integral part of the new intended Regional Assembly infrastructure—providing important economic development delivery functions to the new political bodies. In general terms, a more effective integration of planning, infrastructure provision, business development and investment, and economic development was anticipated at the regional level. This was held as an effective means of contributing to national economic growth and competitiveness objectives: themselves key and pivotal rationales for political devolution. On the basis of benchmarking exercises and academic and policy literature we review and analyse the significant changes that have taken place in the institutions which have been generated across the UK since the late 1990s, presenting and contrasting each nation's and region's experiences with an appreciation of their specific powers and resources.

The devolved governments and parliaments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland increasingly have been adopting different approaches from England to the delivery of public services. With more powers and responsibilities, Scotland has initiated these moves to divergence, not least with respect to the roles of volunteering, the Voluntary and Community Sectors (VCS) in the context of the 'Big Society'. This article explores how the environment and institutions in Scotland increasingly are generating moves for different relations between the public, private and VCS. With key powers reserved for the Westminster parliament, differences are demonstrated in the position and development of the VCS.

This short paper is a summary of a presentation made by the two authors at a conference organised by the Scottish Trades Union Congress in September 2008 around the themes of Regeneration and Poverty Reduction. The paper focuses on issues facing Scotland as a whole, but Glasgow in particular, and was written in response to the publication of Taking Forward the Government Economic Strategy and City Strategy Action Plan by Glasgow City Council in 2008. The authors are particularly concerned that there is little mention of the issues of poverty reduction and regeneration within these documents. Furthermore, within this limited agenda social enterprises are seen as a way forward to tackle these issues but we argue that there are particular concerns regarding their use in pursuing these objectives. The paper is therefore organised on the following lines: firstly the issue and extent of poverty within Glasgow are explored with an analysis of how the City Council, as outlined in the two documents, seeks to tackle these problems. This critical examination is undertaken within an outline of previous policy initiatives. We then proceed to examine potential alternatives to the implicit strategies within the two documents, with an emphasis on social capital and social enterprises. However, whilst social enterprises are becoming one of the preferred vehicles for delivering regeneration objectives we argue there needs to be a full understanding of these organisations and potential problems surrounding their deployment.

A neglected area of analysis in improving the progression of those facing barriers to the labour market concerns the role of employers. Unless their attitudes and behaviour are suitable, well informed, and sympathetic to the aspirations of disadvantaged groups in the labour market, then strategies and policies to raise employability and inclusion will be less than effective. In this paper we report on a project to identify a better understanding of employer considerations in recruiting, retaining, and progressing those who face barriers. We assess employer attitudes and behaviour to EQUAL Access client groups by researching examples of companies who have been active users of such labour, those who have not, and the labour market intermediaries and institutions. In this context we discuss the evolving issues for these groups in the secondary labour market with the migration of significant numbers of skilled workers from Central and Eastern Europe.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce the role of territory in (city‐) regionalisation and to revisit the problems of distance from the core in cluster strategies. The paper further aims to discuss the implications of how agglomeration and networking economies, strongly promoted and based on city regions, are being realised across national boundaries.Design/methodology/approachThe paper argues that there are negative spatial impacts for those areas which do not and cannot establish "core cluster" status. The focus on such "cores" threatens to exacerbate the peripherality of the non‐core regions of the European Union, and especially those in the external (northern) border regions of Europe.FindingsAgainst an evolving pattern of reducing effective distances across the mainland continent through EU funding, Celtic and Nordic Europe is facing a relative increase in peripherality. Ownership and control of industry and the economy are becoming ever more concentrated and centralised at the core, and monetary and fiscal policies are driven by the needs of the market and so of the demands of the metropolitan heart of the continent. While the new territorial clusters are promising growth and development for some regions allowing them to converge on the core, this should not be allowed to obscure the threats to others which are becoming ever more disadvantaged.Originality/valueThe paper highlights a major, albeit not much acknowledged, threat emanating from the current focus on city regions as "economic champions" in debates and policy making. Not only does this threaten to overlook, but, indeed, may create areas of "exclusion" and peripherality.

This policy-orientated article grew out of research funded by the Scottish Socialist Party. The idea of a Scottish Service Tax has been adopted as a key component of their social and economic strategy. Based in wider debates on land reform and land value taxation, the discussion on the tax was the first independent debate in the Scottish Parliament. The article derives from a submission to the Scottish Executive's local government committee on finance.