News and opinion

Scotland as a Permanent Minority
As part of H-Nationalism's series "Minorities in Contemporary and Historical Perspectives" Michael Keating examines Scotland's postion as a minority nation within the Union.

Majority of Brits want a soft Brexit compromise, but Leave voters don't
What does the British public want in terms of a longer-term relationship with the European Union? Simon Hix (LSE), Clifton van der Linden (McMaster University) and Mark Pickup (Simon Fraser University) conducted a survey experiment with a random sample of British voters, where they asked them to choose between hypothetical “package deals”.

The 'Scottish approach' to Policymaking
In his chapter for the Oxford Handbook of Scottish Politics, Paul Cairney examines the alleged distinctiveness of Scottish policymaking. These comparisons tend to be with UK government, which ignores the opportunity for wider comparative assessment.

The Scottish Parliament
Emily St. Denny explains the process of designing the Scottish Parliament and asks, has the Scottish Parliament lived up to the political and policy hopes associated with devolution?

How would an independent Scotland tackle climate change?
How would an independent Scotland tackle climate change? Antje Brown, University of St Andrews, has been searching for an answer.

Fluctuating Fortunes, but a Permanent Presence? Small Parties in Scotland
Alistair Clark, Newcastle University, discusses small parties in Scotland since devolution for his chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Scottish Politics arguing that smaller parties will be a permanent presence in Scottish politics even if their fortunes vary.

Sign Up Now: Seminar on the UK Internal Market and Devolution
The UK Government’s Internal Market Bill sparked controversy when the Northern Ireland secretary, Brandon Lewis, conceded the government’s willingness to depart from international law in overriding aspects of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement. Its implications for devolution are no less controversial. Join Mure Dickie of the Financial Times as he moderates a discussion between Nicola McEwen, Aileen McHarg, and Michael Keating.

Under the spotlight: the civil service in the Scottish devolved system
Building on themes in his chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Scottish Politics, Richard Parry discusses the unprecedented scrutiny now being faced by Scottish civil servants.

The Added-Value of the Ireland-Wales Cooperation Programme
Giada Laganà explores the effectiveness of the Ireland-Wales Cooperation Programme and the EU's role in managing and developing cross-border cooperation.