Article

The ‘Scottish approach’ to policy and policymaking: what issues are territorial and what are universal?

Details

Citation

Cairney P, Russell S & St Denny E (2016) The ‘Scottish approach’ to policy and policymaking: what issues are territorial and what are universal?. Policy and Politics, 44 (3), pp. 333-350. https://doi.org/10.1332/030557315X14353331264538

Abstract
The ‘Scottish approach' refers to its distinctive way to make and implement policy. Its reputation suggests that it is relatively comfortable with local discretion and variations in policy outcomes. Yet, policymakers are subject to ‘universal' processes - limited knowledge, attention and coordinative capacity, and high levels of ambiguity, discretion and complexity in policy processes - which already undermine central control and produce variation. If policy is a mix of deliberate and unintended outcomes, a focus on policy styles may exaggerate a government's ability to do things differently. We demonstrate these issues in two ‘cross cutting' policies: ‘prevention' and ‘transition'. complexity ; devolution; prevention; transition

Keywords
complexity ; devolution; prevention; transition

Notes
This article was among the most highly cited articles published in Policy & Politics 2016 and 2017: http://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/journals/policy-and-politics/highly-cited

Journal
Policy and Politics: Volume 44, Issue 3

StatusPublished
FundersEconomic and Social Research Council
Publication date31/07/2016
Publication date online26/06/2015
Date accepted by journal08/05/2015
URLhttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/22140
PublisherPolicy Press
ISSN0305-5736

People (1)

Professor Paul Cairney

Professor Paul Cairney

Professor, Politics

Projects (1)