Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker - February 2024

The Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker survey tracks economic attitudes and spending intentions from more than 2,000 members of the Scottish adult population every 3 months.  The fast turnaround time, this data was collected only two weeks ago, means early identification of changes in trends to support decision-makers.    

Our latest research show two in three Scots (67%) have resorted to reducing non-essential purchases, while significant proportions continue measures such as cutting back on energy use (64%) and leisure activities (62%). Additionally 45% report decreased savings contributions, and over a third are tapping into them for everyday expenses. These coping mechanisms are particularly prevalent among younger age groups, underscoring the disproportionate impact of the high cost of living on  working-age individuals.

The study reveals a cautious outlook among Scots regarding future spending. Both essential and non-essential spending expectations show little change, indicating ongoing caution amidst economic uncertainty.

Furthermore, the latest findings highlight generational divides in priorities.  Healthcare and the NHS are paramount among older age groups, whilst younger individuals are more focused on addressing rising living costs.

The study also reveals growing doubts among Scots about Scotland's trajectory, with the majority (58%) believing that the country is heading in the wrong direction. This marks a three-percentage-point increase from the previous wave and reflects an increasing sense of pessimism about the future.

Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker November 2023

The Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker, produced by the David Hume Institute and the Diffley Partnership, marks its second birthday, showing many Scots continue to take extreme measures to navigate turbulent economic times:

• 1 in 6 people (17%) report skipping meals

• 1 in 5 people are using ‘buy now pay later’ payment plans

• 2 out of 3 people (67%) are not putting the heating on to reduce costs

For many, the ongoing challenges with the cost of living are dominating their lives with:

• 3 in 10 (29%) Scots telling us they are losing sleep due to their personal finances

Many Scots are living with severe financial precarity:

• 3 in 10 people (28%) are not confident of covering a £100 emergency expense – up three percentage points since February 2023

• This rises to 1 in 2 (49%) for an emergency expense of £500

The survey also shows 8 in 10 Scots perceive the economy as favouring the wealthy (78%), while 53% believe it primarily serves business interests.  Only 1 in 10 (10%) believe that the economy works in their own interest.

Healthcare (48%) and cost of living (42%) remain among the top concerns for Scots. 

Over three-fifths of Scots (62%) view the cost of living and inflation as a key economic priority, though this is down five percentage points from August. Poverty has become a significant concern for 32% of respondents, up three percentage points from August.

The Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker survey gathers economic attitudes and insights from more than 2,000 members of the Scottish adult population every 3 months to track changes over time. 

The Scottish Home Report - why we need a review?

by Professor Stewart Brymer

Professor Stewart Brymer makes the case for why a review of the Scottish Home Report is needed and how it will benefit the overall aim of delivering a better built environment in Scotland – which is itself integral to economic development

The Scottish Home Report consists of a single survey, an energy performance certificate and a property questionnaire – the latter being completed and signed by the selling home owner.

The single survey provides a comprehensive guide to the condition of the property, together with a valuation. In principle, therefore, it provides much more detailed information to both house buyers and sellers than is usually the case at present and avoids the need for competing house purchasers to commission separate surveys and valuations. It also ensures that there is an independent valuation of the property available so that potential buyers do not have to rely on the upset price or ‘offers over’ price to decide if it is likely to be affordable. In practice, there are variances in some locations on marketing techniques but in general, this has resulted in properties being marketed at or around 95% of the valuation in the single survey – the valuation being based on recent comparable evidence. The main point of negotiation with surveyors was the issue of liability. It was agreed that the surveyor’s duty of care would pass to the ultimate buyer.

Despite initial reservations, the Home Report has worked well in Scotland. However, it is not perfect. This paper discusses why a review is now required to support improvement.

About the Author

Professor Stewart Brymer graduated with First Class Honours in Law from the University of Dundee (1979).  He is a past-convenor of the Property Law Committee of The Law Society of Scotland and co-Founder of the Scottish Conveyancers Forum.

Stewart is a member of the Professorial Panel on Property law matters and is an Honorary Professor at the University of Dundee. 

He is also a prolific writer and is co-author of “Conveyancing in the Electronic Age” and “Leases” with Professor Robert Rennie and “Professor McDonald’s Conveyancing Manual” along with over 175 articles on Conveyancing and Leasing law.

 Why is DHI thinking about the Home Report?

There is much discussion about the quality of the housing stock in Scotland.  The need to retrofit ageing housing stock to cope with changing climate in the years ahead is a frequent subject of conversation.  In our previous work on the Scottish Land and Building Information System (ScotLIS), the potential for improvement in the Home Report came up in discussion but we were not able to fully explore the issue.  This discussion paper makes the case for why a review of the Home Report is needed and how it will benefit the overall aim of delivering a better built environment in Scotland – which is itself integral to economic development.

Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker August 2023

The most recent data from the David Hume Institute and Diffley Partnership’s regular economy tracker reveals a mixed picture of public opinion on the economy.

Research shows extreme cost-saving behaviours in how Scots shop, eat and live are likely to have a disastrous long-term effect on the nation’s health.

Rising cost of living continues to dominate people’s priorities. Around half (48%) say this is a top issue facing Scotland. Two-thirds (67%) say this is a top issue for the Scottish economy.

In response, Scots report that they are shopping around, changing brands or shops, and buying reduced food to cope with rising prices.

But many are engaging in extreme cost-saving behaviours, which may have disastrous health consequences:

• 1 in 7 (15%) are skipping meals

• 1 in 4 (24%) are buying fewer fruits and vegetables

• 1 in 4 (25%) are choosing foods that require no or little cooking such as pot noodles

• More than 1 in 4 (27%) are consuming more packaged or processed foods instead of fresh alternatives.

These changes have serious public health consequences and risk exacerbating pre-existing inequalities, as working class hit hard by rising prices; over 1 in 5 (22%) of those in social grades C2DE report that their finances are much worse now than a year ago.

Scots remain sceptical and pessimistic about Scotland’s economy and direction. Over a third (38%) say that economic conditions are much worse now than a year ago, down from almost half (46%) in May, and over half (56%) believe that things in Scotland are headed in the wrong direction.

Large swathes of the population remain dissatisfied with the actions and support offered by UK and Scottish Government, local authorities, energy companies and the Bank of England. Over 80% feel that these actors have done too little to help people cope with rising prices.

Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker - May 2023

The most recent data from the David Hume Institute and Diffley Partnership’s regular economy tracker reveals a mixed picture of public opinion on the economy.

The economic outlook from Scots remains bleak with 62% thinking that general economic conditions will be worse in a years’ time (although this is down very slightly from 66% in February) and 45% think their personal financial situation will be worse in a years’ time (down from 48% in February).

However, while we have seen a reduction in the number of people thinking that things will be worse, optimism is not rising. Many Scots think that the economic outlook will remain the same over the next 12 months suggesting that they think that the costs and challenges they face are here to stay.

Is this a sign of people adjusting to a new normal?

In order to meet increased costs, many Scots are running down their savings, turning to credit and stopping paying into pensions:

• 4 in 10 Scots (42%) report having taken money out of their savings to
  cover higher costs

• 1 in 4 have used a credit card to make for purchases that they wouldn’t
  usually

• 1 in % have used ‘buy now pay later’ schemes to cover everyday
  spending

• A small but increasing number of Scots have stopped contributing to a
  pension (7%)

Turning to high-cost borrowing options for everyday essentials can cause the accumulation of substantial debt which will affect people’s lives for many years to come.

The Understanding Scotland: economy tracker is produced in partnership between the David Hume Institute and the Diffley Partnership. The survey gathers economic attitudes and insights from more than 2,000 members of the Scottish adult population every 3 months to track changes over time.

Is trust an undervalued ingredient for a thriving economy?

Discussion paper by Charlie Woods

Published May 2023

Labour market disputes, concerns about public contracts and declining trust in government and institutions have risen up the news agenda in recent times.  All of these things impact on our economy but the importance of trust in building thriving economies, as an issue in its own right, feels under-explored. 

When governments talk of increasing productivity and economic growth, are they focusing sufficiently on the challenges posed by an unhappy workforce or the hours lost in contract disputes?  This paper argues that, although improving levels of  trust can take time, it is time well spent as it saves resources in the long term.

This paper aims to stimulate discussion about the role that trust and more collaborative relationships can play in strengthening the economy. It is written from the perspective of experience in working to stimulate economic development, help resolve commercial conflicts, facilitate dialogue and develop more effective relationships. 

This paper builds on previous David Hume Institute work on the labour market including the 2020 briefing paper on the Danish model of Flexicurity. 

About the Author

Charlie Woods has wide-ranging experience of industry, commerce, and public and private sector organisations, ranging from SMEs to government. He was previously Director of Strategy and Chief Economist at Scottish Enterprise and is now executive director of the Scottish Universities Insight Institute and Vice-Chair of the Economic Development Association Scotland (EDAS).

Charlie is an Associate of Core Solutions and has extensive mediation and facilitation experience in a wide range of fields including planning, family business, management, PPP contracts, transport infrastructure, government policy and professional services.  

Scotland's land information system: what is it and why does it matter

A new report, written by land reform expert Andy Wightman, commissioned jointly by the David Hume Institute and Built Environment Forum Scotland, says the lack of a fully functioning land and building information system is holding Scotland back.

The paper discusses Scotland’s land information service - what it is and why it matters - and what still needs to be done to fulfil a 2015 Scottish Government commitment in 2015 to deliver a comprehensive Scottish Land Information Service (SCOTLIS).

Information about land and buildings is used everyday by businesses, policy-makers, academics and ordinary citizens. This information ranges from land ownership to valuation, from energy efficiency ratings to building types and from vegetation cover to flood risks.

All of this information exists in some form, however much of it is not easily available and virtually none of it is made available in an integrated form. As the impacts of climate change intensify, there is even greater need for more timely, more comprehensive and more accessible information about land and buildings in Scotland.

This briefing originated from conversations as part of our largest piece of research to date, the Action Project and also connects to our work with Open Data Scotland on the potential of open data and our briefing on levelling up access to high speed broadband.

Read the press release.

About the author:

Andy Wightman is a writer and researcher focussing on land governance, land ownership and community land rights. He is the author of publications including Who Owns Scotland (1996), Scotland: Land and Power (1999), Community Land Rights: A Citizen’s Guide (2009) and The Poor Had No Lawyers (2010). He runs the Who Owns Scotland project. From 2016 to 2021, Andy was a Member of the Scottish Parliament. Andy was a Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee Inquiry on Land Reform 2013-15 and was a member of the Commission on Local Tax Reform in 2015.

Latest Understanding Scotland: Economy

The most recent data from the David Hume Institute and Diffley Partnership’s regular economic survey reveals a mixed picture of public opinion on the economy: while overwhelming pessimism coupled and evidence of harsh financial realities for households persists, people’s predictions for the next year appear less dire than in previous waves of data collection. Whether this is a sign of people adjusting to a new normal, or genuinely feeling things are improving, remains to be seen.

Scots are continuing to struggle to make ends meet as dissatisfaction with income levels remains high and people carry on cutting their discretionary spending levels in response to rising prices. On top of this people are being pushed into forgoing basic necessities, engaging in risky financial behaviours, and looking to change jobs or take on extra hours.

New questions for this iteration have displayed a stark financial fragility across the population, although this is not experienced equally. A significant minority of people are not confident that they could pay an emergency expense of £100 without having to borrow or take out a loan, and this number sharply increases for an emergency expense of £500. For those in the most deprived areas of Scotland, these numbers are much higher.

Read the press release.

Does Scotland need a digital wallet for skills?

From imagination to action discussion paper

A workforce, with individuals keeping their knowledge and skills up to date throughout their lives, is critical for the economy to thrive.  

Are employers losing time and money repeating training? How easy is it for job-seekers or employees to evidence all their skills and training?

This discussion paper explores if a digital wallet for skills could be critical missing infrastructure for both employers and individuals. What can we learn from elsewhere in the world? Could a digital wallet for skills in Scotland save both time and money, and ultimately help the economy to thrive?

Latest Understanding Scotland: Economy

Latest research insights from the David Hume Institute and the Diffley Partnership on economic attitudes and behaviours has revealed widespread pessimism about Scotland’s economic outlook.

The Understanding Scotland: economy survey shows that households’ are continuing to cut their spending and go without necessities, despite many attempting to boost their income in different ways.

Intentions to cut spending have increased for every good and service listed in the survey since Understanding Scotland began, posing a big challenge for the Scottish economy.

The public mood on the economy has moved dramatically in the last 12 months. Just 1 in 10 Scots think the economy works primarily in their own interests, whilst 8 in 10 think it works primarily in the interests of the wealthy.

As we enter into economic recession and the UK faces its biggest drop in living standards on record, understanding people’s perceptions and behaviours is essential for all decision-makers.

Read the press release.

Research: The Great Risk Transfer - have we got the balance right?

How many people have the knowledge and time to manage the financial risks they face in life? To what extent does it matter?

We partnered with the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) to explore these questions. We aimed to find out more about what people in Scotland understand to be the key risks in relation to their long-term financial wellbeing and what helps and holds them back from addressing them.

Our engagement with people in Scotland was designed to build on recent work carried out by the IFoA which has been exploring the ongoing trend of transferring risks from institutions – such as employers, the state, and financial services providers – to individuals.

The IFoA calls this the ‘Great Risk Transfer’ describing it as posing one of the most significant yet little understood social, financial, and political challenges of our time. The changes described in this work show that far greater responsibility is being placed on individuals for managing their lifelong financial wellbeing than has been the case for most people living in Scotland since the establishment of the modern welfare state.

The Great Risk Transfer research showed that the causes of this trend are complex. They include increasing life expectancy, technological advances, changes in financial regulation and political choices. The IFoA highlighted four important areas of risk transfer: pensions, work, health and insurance. Our work was designed to find out more about relevant perceptions of risk in the Scottish population and how people respond to risks which can affect their financial wellbeing.

We explored people’s awareness of the Great Risk Transfer and their ability to manage and respond to financial risks. This revealed two interlinked themes which have implications for policymakers and others interested in either mitigating against or rebalancing responsibility for the relevant risks.

• Cultural – what people know, how they feel and what they do to manage risk

• Structural – the wider social and economic system

Our work commenced in December 2021 and concluded as inflation grew to levels not seen since the early 1980s, with rapidly-increasing fuel, energy and food prices dominating the headlines. This comes at a time when wages and social security payments have generally not kept pace with inflation, leading to widespread acknowledgement of a significant rise in the cost of living.

Not surprisingly, many of the people we spoke to were focused on immediate financial challenges. These included high housing costs, insecure tenancies and jobs, low incomes and debt, and, for some retired people, the challenge of living on a fixed income. This report is structured around four key areas which emerged strongly in our research:

• Knowledge and awareness of risks to financial wellbeing

• Trust in information providers

• Stress, fear, stigma and embarrassment

• Ability to access and understand guidance and information

Understanding Scotland: Economy - August 2022

New research produced in partnership between the David Hume Institute and the Diffley Partnership on economic attitudes and behaviours has revealed widespread anxiety and pessimism about Scotland’s economic outlook.

The Understanding Scotland: economy survey shows that despite households’ best efforts to cut their outgoings, the support on offer from governments is widely seen as inadequate.

Eighty per cent of people have already cut down on leisure and/or non-essentials, and over a quarter of people are skipping or cutting down on meals to save money.

Since starting this regular survey last year, sadly most people have seen their financial situation deteriorate. With three in ten people now losing sleep due to financial stress, and over a quarter skipping or cutting meals.

There are obvious consequences for the economy, labour market and people’s health. This is essential data to help inform the actions of decision-makers.

Read the press release.

Understanding Scotland: Economy - May 2022

A new survey produced in partnership between the David Hume Institute and the Diffley Partnership has revealed widespread anxiety about Scotland’s economic outlook. The survey measures people’s attitudes and behaviours to build a picture of the public’s perceptions of the economy.

Read more.

Briefing papers: Community Insights

Throughout 2019-20, the David Hume Institute’s Action Project brought people across Scotland together to discuss what was needed to progress towards a more prosperous, sustainable, inclusive and fair country. We spoke to people from all walks of life, including many from smaller communities in Scotland which retain a strong sense of identity but feel they are not heard or understood by government and policy-makers.

Building on the Action Project and a Scotland of Better Places, in autumn 2021, we embarked on a new project in partnership with the William Grant Foundation. The aim was to gain new insights from correlating open data about Scotland’s communities.

The research aimed to draw on a range of open datasets. However, it quickly became clear there was less open data available than expected. Consequently some information was collated manually from other sources, and we were not able to include information if it was not available Scotland-wide.  Read more about the research process on the project blog.

The key findings from the analysing the data:

• Positive relationships between the number of businesses per capita and the number of charities per capita in intermediate zones

• Positive relationships between the number of charities and community spaces per capita in intermediate zones

• Fewer charities in communities defined as more deprived by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD)

• Fewer businesses in communities defined as most deprived and least deprived by the SIMD

• More community spaces in communities defined as more deprived by the SIMD

By bringing together data from this project and the Action Project, we were able to illustrate how using qualitative and quantitative data alongside each other can produce a more detailed insight to an area. Using local knowledge allowed us to question some of the assumptions which underpin other correlated datasets such as the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) and the use of data more generally. 

A key conclusion was that only using quantitative data analysis could lead to misunderstanding and reinforce assumptions about places, and the people who live in them.

The three Community Insights briefings below demonstrate the potential benefits of combining different types of data to achieve a fuller picture of an area for decision making.

Using open data sources to investigate Scotland’s communities highlighted the slow progress being made towards an open data culture in Scotland, despite the proven benefits of doing so and the cost of not doing so.

We produced a briefing in partnership with Open Data Scotland to increase understanding of this critical area. DHI will continue our work in this field, aiming to inform and accelerate publication of open data in Scotland. 

Briefing paper: What is open data and why does it matter?

Open data that can be freely used, re-used, and redistributed, has the potential to drive innovative solutions to some of Scotland’s biggest challenges. An open data culture leads to improved government, economic growth, insight, and a more participatory democracy.  However, despite the benefits demonstrated by those leading the way in open data, Scotland is moving at a glacial pace and the gap with other countries is widening.

In 2015, the Scottish Government launched its Open Data Strategy which set out its vision that, by 2020, Scotland will value data and responsibly make use of it in order to improve public services and deliver wider societal and economic benefits for all. 

Since 2015, Scotland’s data has been ‘open by default’ but progress remains slow and over half of councils still make no open data provision. Although the Scottish Government permits the reuse of core website content, 30 of the 32 local councils do not. Our briefing paper indicates that over 95% of the data that could and should be open is still locked up, at an estimated annual cost to the Scottish economy of just over £2bn.

Globally, governments and political unions, including the EU, prioritised actions which in many cases overtake Scotland’s progress in the delivery of Open Government data plans. This includes creative use of open data from countries including Kenya, Romania, Mexico, Honduras, Paraguay and Uruguay. Urgent action is needed to ensure Scotland doesn’t miss out. 

Our briefing paper, published in partnership with Open Data Scotland by lead author Ian Watt, calls for a number of specific actions from national and local government, as well as large institutions such as the NHS and Scottish Universities, to address the issue including:

• Scottish Government adopting open data as a core part of their digital strategy with appropriate resource

• Creation of a national open data portal

• Development of common open data publishing standards for Scotland

• Working together with UK Government and commercial partners to accelerate superfast broadband provision as called for in DHI’s previously published paper on Levelling up high speed broadband

Research: Scotland’s top charity leaders: how diverse are they?

Scotland needs all its current top leaders to actively champion diversity and provide the opportunities to ensure faster progress. More equal societies have higher productivity, and high productivity allows more investment to create more equal societies.

The David Hume Institute measures the diversity of Scotland’s top leaders. For the first time in our analysis this includes the leaders of the top 300 charities by income. As major influencers and lobbyists who impact on all parts of our society, charity leaders have a key role in making sure that their leadership is representative of the communities they serve.

The top 300 charities by income represent just 1% of the total charities in Scotland and control over £10 billion each year - 73% of the sector's total annual income - but their leaders are not representative of the communities they serve.

66% Male

34% Female

2% Ethnic minorities

The research, which analyses the backgrounds of the chairs and chief executives of the 300 highest income charities in Scotland, finds that:

• Only 1 in 3 leaders (34%) are women and only 1 in 50 (2%) are black or Asian, compared to 10% female and 1% ethnic minorities in business and investment leaders.

• 1 in 25 (4%) hold a top leadership position in another one of the top 300 charities. 

The research showed the picture is not uniform across the top 300 charities which include universities, colleges, housing associations, fee-paying schools, health and social care charities. 

Charitable status comes with high levels of public trust and tax breaks, as well as the legal responsibility to deliver public benefit. But not all organisations are open about who is in control. It is difficult for the public to hold people to account if they don’t know who they are.

The research recommends an extension of the Scottish Charity Regulator’s (OSCR) powers to create a publicly searchable register of charity trustees to bring them in line with company directors. This change will increase transparency and enable monitoring on diversity. 

Increasing diversity of thought is in everyone’s interests as it helps avoid the pitfalls of group think, - where similar people think or make decisions as a group, resulting in unchallenged decision-making, and improves risk management and productivity. More equal societies have higher productivity, and high productivity allows more investment to create more equal societies. 

Briefing paper: Levelling up high speed broadband

Levelling up access to high speed broadband in Scotland is vital for rural communities currently left behind. Our new briefing paper looks at the roll-out so far and potential for faster progress on this vital infrastructure.

Internet connectivity has become essential for modern life and business is virtually impossible without it. It is critical for productivity and regional equality, and supports education as well as access to public services. 

Areas of rural Scotland yet to access high speed broadband are at risk of increasing outward migration accentuating the already ageing population.

The UK Government has stated its intention to deliver infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK. The two recent financial commitments from the UK Gigabit scheme partnering with the Scottish Government R100 scheme to extend the reach are welcome.

This paper looks at the physical provision of infrastructure not issues related to access as a result of poverty.

The Scottish and UK Governments must complete faster rollout to all rural communities as part of the levelling up agenda and to support economic recovery from Covid-19. 

Research: What do business and investment leaders bring to Team Scotland?

Faster growth in diversity at the top level is needed if Scotland is going to benefit from a wider spectrum of thought leadership to maximise the country’s ability to overcome challenges such as increasing productivity, innovation and improving risk management.

Research from the David Hume Institute looking into the education and diversity background of over 220 business and investment leaders shows that there is little diversity - and less than other sectors analysed in the Institute’s previous work.  

The analysis found that: 

• There are still more leaders called John than there are female leaders (7% John and 5% female)

• One in four (26%) have held positions at four services companies (Accenture, EY, McKinsey, PwC)

• 2 out of 3 (65%) of investment company leaders attended an elite university with 1 in 5 of these attending Oxford or Cambridge.  This compares to 49% of Angel Investment leaders who attended an elite university.

• 9% of investment company leaders are female - falling behind the UK average (13%)

• 20% of angel investor leaders are female - higher gender diversity than others in the business sector

• 31% of the top business leaders also hold positions on other boards, showing a narrow pool of decision makers has significant influence beyond their own companies.  

The David Hume Institute’s research clearly shows limited diversity of Scotland’s top business and investment leaders. Scotland needs its business leaders to not only champion diversity across their organisations, they need to be open to more immediate change at the most senior levels to reap the benefits of more diverse thinking now.

Every business leader must choose to prioritise diversity of thought as we recover from the pandemic if Scotland’s businesses are to increase productivity and resilience to future risks.  For Scotland to be in the Champions League for business and investment we need a more diverse squad available for selection.

Briefing paper: Multi-year budgeting in Scotland

A new agreement on multi-year budgeting between the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament will help long term thinking and support a more open conversation about spending plans and investment choices.  

Over the last year the David Hume Institute’s Action Project considered the actions needed to move faster towards a more prosperous, sustainable, inclusive and fair country.

Multi-year planning helps effective investment and productivity, and can be particularly useful on longer term projects, many of which are linked to climate action. 

Despite repeated calls over many years to publish multi-year spending plans, it has proved difficult for Scottish Government to achieve this.  As public finances become even tighter post pandemic, this will remain a challenge.

Public and third sector organisations want more certainty about funding to allow them to plan for more than one year at a time. Draft multi-year budgets will help public services plan more efficiently as we emerge from the pandemic.

The Institute’s paper proposes a way forward for the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government and Audit Scotland to make multi-year budgeting the established norm in Scotland.   

Report: A Scotland of Better Places

A new report by Professor Duncan Maclennan, commissioned by the David Hume Institute, examines how the country can move forward to A Scotland of Better Places.

The report is part of the Institute’s Action Project investigating the actions needed for Scotland to move faster towards being a country that is more prosperous, sustainable, inclusive and fair.

A Scotland of Better Places examines actions needed for places to deliver faster social, environmental and economic benefits. 

Covid shone a light on the places in which we live, work, study, play and grow.  The events of the last year have dramatically changed many people’s relationships with the places in their lives.  

Our places will play a central role in Scotland’s recovery. They are inter-connected, inter-dependent and impact on every aspect of our lives.

The report is based on conversations with over 600 people in webinars. The conversations revealed a broad range of ideas that individuals, communities and organisations are ready to share and enact with governments.

There is not a single magic action to make all of Scotland’s Places thrive. Over the years there have been many policies, strategies and initiatives, often top down and not involving local people.

This is an opportunity to build forward better from Covid-19 and recognise the connections within and between places.  There are major long-term changes required, and much agreement about what needs to change and how to change it. Bold policy choices could remake the sub-national governance and government of Scotland to match modern place challenges.

Professor Maclennan suggests “Using reformed financial and tax structures, listening to communities and individuals, (and especially younger and poorer Scots) in the democratic processes that will make Scotland a more prosperous, sustainable, inclusive and fair country.”

The report is part of the David Hume Institute’s Action Project which engaged more than 4,500 people from across Scotland, bringing together a broad range of perspectives on how Scotland can build forward better from the Covid-19 pandemic.