| 30439 |
abstract |
Constitutional change in the UK in 1998 led to the establishment of devolution for
Scotland, and the Scottish Parliament was reconvened in 1999 after a gap of nearly
300 years. Devolution promised the development of policies that were more in tune
with ‘Scottish needs’, and was heralded as delivering ‘Scottish solutions for Scottish
problems’. Now with a Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) Government in power in Edinburgh
committed to greater devolution for Scotland and with a goal of full independence
for Scotland, it is timely to assess the ways in which the SNP have approach the question
of social policy – and more specifically poverty and inequality. While key areas of
social welfare policy, notable in relation to benefits, employment policy and most
areas of taxation remain reserved to the UK parliament in London, the Scottish Parliament
enjoys powers over most areas of social policy as they affect Scotland: health, housing,
education, community development, regeneration and criminal justice. This paper considers
some of the main influences on SNP policy making, and in particular explores its concern
to develop policies that promote solidarity, cohesion and fairness. However, these
are secondary to a strategy which promotes economic growth and Scottish economic competitiveness.
The paper also considers the importance of nationalism for the analysis of social
welfare arguing that social policy making is often central to nation building, and
particularly so in the context of multi-national devolution of the kind that has developed
in the UK and elsewhere in recent times. |