Economists, policy makers, political scientists and journalists have gathered at a major conference in Edinburgh over the past two days (19-20 September) to focus on an emerging theme in economics: constitutional change.
Catalan demands for independence, continuing political pressures in Belgium, the experience of Quebec, and the September 2014 Scottish referendum have given the international and home nations delegates a wide range of situations to explore.
The International Conference on the Economics of Constitutional Change, part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)'s Future of the UK and Scotland activities, has been organised by ESRC Fellow Professor David Bell, and his economics team at the University of Stirling.
And some of the Future of UK and Scotland research groups have launched major papers at the conference to inform the referendum debate in Scotland:
- ESRC research fellow Dr Angus Armstrong, director of macroeconomics at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, presented his paper on Scotland's Currency Options
- The Institute for Fiscal Studies released their findings on public spending in Scotland
Professor Bell explained: "This conference has helped broaden our understanding of the economics of constitutional change. Contributors from countries with independence movements discussed the economic and political obstacles to achieving independence. Economists from Scotland and England explored how the Scottish economy might change if Scotland was to become independent."
Many other papers from the conference are already available at the ESRC Future of UK and Scotland economic teams' blog.