The Political Economy of Financing Scottish Government

Can the UK survive widespread dissatisfaction in both Scotland and England with the financing of public spending by Scotland’s parliament? This timely book explains how fiscal autonomy could raise economic growth and efficiency in Scotland – to the benefit of both Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. The authors discuss how other reform proposals – which amount to cutting Scotland’s block grant – would fail as they would not be seen in Scotland as legitimate. They conclude that fiscal autonomy would be accepted as it reduces Scotland’s democratic deficit in public spending, and would go a long way toward reducing vertical and horizontal imbalances in the UK.