SP

[I wrote this page in the olden days. I don’t really teach Scottish politics these days]

POLU9SP: Politics and Policymaking in Scotland

POLU9SP (2015 Autumn) – module hand-out

Here is the list of blog posts that correspond to my lectures for this course. Each week, I will add a link to two posts. All going well, both posts will be here by the close of play on Monday, to help you read and prepare for Wednesday and Thursday. I will add a weblink to the text below, and you should be able to spot them (they will be blue and underlined). You can also find useful resources on other pages, such as:

Scottish politics books and articles

Posts before and after the Scottish independence referendum

Posts which introduce you to policy concepts and theories

You should treat most of these posts like a first step – they should prompt your interest in a topic enough to get you to go further and read the books and articles – rather than a good enough description of each topic.

[note: almost all of the boxes/ tables in the posts are from Scottish Politics]

Lecture/ blog topics – week numbers (the number is Wednesday, the bullet is Thursday):

1. Introduction: can there be a ‘Scottish approach’ to policymaking?

 Key concepts in policymaking: some issues are territorial, some are universal

2. Key theories in policymaking: how to explain what is going on in Scotland

 How to present policy analysis to many audiences (coursework)

3. Devolution and ‘new politics’ in Scotland: the implications for policymaking

 New forms of politics and policymaking in Scotland: participatory and deliberative democracy resurgent?

4. New politics: a central or peripheral role for the Scottish Parliament?

 Pluralist democracy and the ‘Scottish policy style’: the role of ‘pressure participants’ such as interest groups

5. The Scottish Government and the ‘Scottish approach’ to policymaking’

 Localism, partnerships and new forms of governance beyond the centre

6. Scottish policymaking in the context of multi-level governance 

 Intergovernmental relations and shared policymaking 

7. The role of HM Treasury and the ‘Barnett formula’ 

 The effect of constitutional change on politics and policymaking

8. Policy change, convergence and divergence since Scottish devolution

 The implementation of policy in Scotland

9. Case studies: prevention and early intervention to address austerity and inequality

 Case studies: healthcare, public health, mental health

10. Case studies: early years, compulsory, further and higher education

 Looking ahead: will policy and policymaking change with constitutional change?