SCOTTISH POLICY FOUNDATION TO FUND RESEARCH PROJECT INTO THE GROWTH OF SMALL ECONOMIES

New partnership announced with Reform Scotland, Scottish Policy Foundation and Landfall Strategy to benchmark Scotland against other small advanced economies and identify policy prescriptions for sustained economic performance

The Scottish Policy Foundation is to co-fund a new research project with Reform Scotland and Landfall Strategy looking into issues facing small advanced economies and identifying lessons for Scotland to improve sustained economic performance.

The project will consist of several parts:

First, the recent economic performance of small advanced economies will be benchmarked against the equivalent performance of larger advanced economies, to enable the characteristics of high-performing small advanced economies to be identified;

Secondly, the performance of Scotland’s economy will be compared to the group of small advanced economies, in particular those small economies that share specific characteristics with Scotland;
thirdly, the emerging issues that face small economies will be identified, such as their exposure to the changing political and economic environment, from technology to protectionis;

Finally, a number of policy prescriptions for Scotland to raise its economic performance utilising its devolved powers will be identified and described.

The project aims to help frame a number of policy areas that are of particular relevance to Scotland in terms of improving its economic performance on a sustained basis. It will be delivered through a collaboration between Reform Scotland, an independent think tank that has been in existence for ten years, and David Skilling of the Landfall Strategy Group, a consultancy providing political and economic insights on small advanced economies.

Alan McFarlane, Chairman of Reform Scotland, commented:

“We are excited to have this opportunity to collaborate with the Scottish Policy Foundation to publish what looks set to be a very informative and important piece of research from David Skilling.

“The report will be published under Reform Scotland’s Melting Pot banner, where we encourage guest authors to contribute to the public policy debate in Scotland.”

David Skilling, Director of the Landfall Strategy Group, added:

“The experience of small advanced economies around the world, from New Zealand to Denmark, has much insight for Scotland as it considers how to use its devolved powers to generate a sustained improvement in economic performance.”

Alison Moore, the Director of the Scottish Policy Foundation, welcomed the project:

“The Scottish Policy Foundation is pleased to be co-funding such an important piece of comparative research into the issues facing our economy in Scotland. The policy prescriptions for sustained economic growth that will come out of the project will be highly valuable for policy makers and politicians alike.”

ENDS