IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wiw/wiwrsa/ersa15p1014.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Science and Innovation in Scotland: a Study on the Impact of Enhanced Autonomy

Author

Listed:
  • Alessandro Rosiello
  • Dave Wield
  • Omid Omidvar
  • Michele Mastroeni
  • Joyce Tait

Abstract

The Scottish Referendum of September 2014 was the setting for arguments regarding Scotland?s strengths and weaknesses, and projections of what could happen in different scenarios. Areas of debate included those on Scotland?s scientific performance and how to harness innovation to increase its competitiveness in the global economy. It encouraged a high degree of public engagement and prompted the three main political parties in London to promise enhanced devolution of powers and fiscal autonomy if Scotland decided to stay part of the UK. This paper outlines the perception of Scotland as a strong scientific and innovative society, and will outline the images of Scotland as a region and nation both distinct from England in culture and attitude, and as a participant in the knowledge economy. It will summarise the strengths and weaknesses perceived and measured in its science and innovation systems, briefly recount policy initiatives to improve them, and outline the main arguments made by the Scottish Government in 2014 regarding how enhanced autonomy could lead to a more innovative and prosperous Scotland. The science system has been strengthened during the 2000s as devolution brought a set of new and expanded funding streams in conjunction with existing UK-based institutions. There are questions, however, about the relationship between the science base and Scotland?s innovation system, and the lack of coherent policy to address that ?disconnect?. The questions are related to the impact that enhanced autonomy may have on the absorptive and innovation capacities of Scottish business, with a particular focus on the potential impact of increased autonomy on: (i) absorbtive capacity, (ii) the organisations that support Scottish businesses in their innovative activities, R&D, technology transfer, commercialisation and finance, and (iii) on Scotland?s economy in terms of diversity of industry, specialisation and resilience. Beginning with the concept of imagined community, the paper first traces key background elements of the Scottish science system, and the relationship between science and innovation. Then, it details the present situation regarding Scotland?s science base, mapping the institutions that exist to integrate Scottish science policy. It shows that the science system already operates with some autonomy from the rest of the UK. This is followed by an analysis of the tenuous level of connection between science and innovation. The paper will outline the different concerns and opinions of the business and policy communities regarding Scotland?s innovation system, and it will summarise the questions being posed by different stakeholders regarding proposed independence and its possible impact on the Scottish Innovation System. Finally, it presents a summary of the future prospects for science and innovation and an evidenced argument for a less science-led policy led by a focus on new and transformed industrial sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessandro Rosiello & Dave Wield & Omid Omidvar & Michele Mastroeni & Joyce Tait, 2015. "Science and Innovation in Scotland: a Study on the Impact of Enhanced Autonomy," ERSA conference papers ersa15p1014, European Regional Science Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa15p1014
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www-sre.wu.ac.at/ersa/ersaconfs/ersa15/e150825aFinal01014.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. ., 2013. "The Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index 2013, chapter 4, pages iii-iii, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Ben Gardiner & Ron Martin & Peter Sunley & Peter Tyler, 2013. "Spatially unbalanced growth in the British economy," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 13(6), pages 889-928, November.
    3. Carol Corrado & Charles Hulten & Daniel Sichel, 2009. "Intangible Capital And U.S. Economic Growth," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 55(3), pages 661-685, September.
    4. Fabrizio Barca & Philip McCann & Andrés Rodríguez‐Pose, 2012. "The Case For Regional Development Intervention: Place‐Based Versus Place‐Neutral Approaches," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 134-152, February.
    5. Philip McCann & Raquel Ortega-Argil�s, 2015. "Smart Specialization, Regional Growth and Applications to European Union Cohesion Policy," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(8), pages 1291-1302, August.
    6. Cooke, Philip & Gomez Uranga, Mikel & Etxebarria, Goio, 1997. "Regional innovation systems: Institutional and organisational dimensions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(4-5), pages 475-491, December.
    7. Václav Černý, 2008. "Inter-disciplinary Character of Social Sciences [Interdisciplinární charakter společenských věd]," Český finanční a účetní časopis, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2008(4), pages 108-111.
    8. Muller, Emmanuel & Zenker, Andrea, 2001. "Business services as actors of knowledge transformation: the role of KIBS in regional and national innovation systems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(9), pages 1501-1516, December.
    9. Kevin Morgan, 2007. "The Learning Region: Institutions, Innovation and Regional Renewal," Chapters, in: Roel Rutten & Frans Boekema (ed.), The Learning Region, chapter 5, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Crawford, Rowena & Tetlow, Gemma, 2014. "Fiscal Challenges and Opportunities for an Independent Scotland," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 227, pages 40-53, February.
    11. ., 2013. "Markets, competition and entrepreneurship," Chapters, in: The Rediscovery of Classical Economics, chapter 6, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Kevin Morgan, 2007. "The Learning Region: Institutions, Innovation and Regional Renewal," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(sup1), pages 147-159.
    13. Mariana Mazzucato, 2015. "The Green Entrepreneurial State," SPRU Working Paper Series 2015-28, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    14. Kean Birch, 2011. "“Weakness” as “Strength” in the Scottish Life Sciences: The Institutional Grounding of Knowledge‐based Commodity Chains in a Less‐favoured Region," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(1), pages 72-97, March.
    15. ., 2013. "Entrepreneurs, firms, and global wealth since 1850," Chapters, in: Entrepreneurship and Multinationals, chapter 2, pages 13-56, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    16. ., 2013. "Entrepreneurship in post- conflict Iraq," Chapters, in: The Political Economy of Iraq, chapter 10, pages 183-208, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    17. ., 2013. "The role of entrepreneurship in economic development," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index 2013, chapter 5, pages iii-iii, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Patricia Kotnik & Rok Stritar, 2015. "ICT as the Facilitator of Entrepreneurial Activity: An Empirical Investigation," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 17(38), pages 277-277, February.
    2. Gusciute, Egle & Quinn, Emma & Barrett,Alan, 2015. "Business Migration to Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS43.
    3. Ferrante, Francesco & Federici, Daniela & Parisi, Valentino, 2017. "University Students and Entrepreneurship. Some insights from a population-based survey," MPRA Paper 76980, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Eugen Musta & Elvin Meka, 2015. "Lack of Credit in Albania; Who is to “Blame†Analyzing the Demand," European Journal of Economics and Business Studies Articles, Revistia Research and Publishing, vol. 1, ejes_v1_i.
    5. Daniel S. J. Lechmann & Christoph Wunder, 2017. "The Dynamics of Solo Self-Employment: Persistence and Transition to Employership," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 932, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    6. Elert, Niklas & Henrekson, Magnus & Stenkula, Mikael, 2017. "Institutional Reform for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: An Agenda for Europe," Working Paper Series 1150, Research Institute of Industrial Economics, revised 16 Feb 2017.
    7. Martin Binder, 2017. "Entrepreneurial Success and Subjective Well-Being: Worries about the Business Explain One's Well-Being Loss from Self-Employment," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 947, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    8. Peter van der Zwan & Jolanda Hessels & Cornelius A. Rietveld, 2015. "The Pleasures and Pains of Self-Employment: A Panel Data Analysis of Satisfaction with Life, Work, and Leisure," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 15-099/VII, Tinbergen Institute.
    9. Dilli, Selin & Elert, Niklas, 2016. "The Diversity of Entrepreneurial Regimes in Europe," Working Paper Series 1118, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    10. Neij, Lena & Heiskanen, Eva & Strupeit, Lars, 2017. "The deployment of new energy technologies and the need for local learning," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 274-283.
    11. Cristian Barra & Nazzareno Ruggiero, 2022. "How do dimensions of institutional quality improve Italian regional innovation system efficiency? The Knowledge production function using SFA," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 591-642, April.
    12. Annalisa Caloffi & Marco Mariani, 2018. "Regional policy mixes for enterprise and innovation: A fuzzy-set clustering approach," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 36(1), pages 28-46, February.
    13. Akinboye Abayomi Kazeem & Soaib Asimiran, 2016. "Factors Affecting Entrepreneurial Self-efficacy of Engineering Students," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 6(11), pages 519-534, November.
    14. Thomas J. Hannigan & Alessandra Perri & Vittoria Giada Scalera, 2016. "The Dispersed Multinational: Does Connectedness Across Spatial Dimensions Lead to Broader Technological Search?," Working Papers 11, Venice School of Management - Department of Management, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia.
    15. Debora Revoltella & Andrea Brasili & Rocco L. Bubbico & Annamária Tüske & Christoph Weiss, 2019. "Framework Conditions, Innovation and Productivity in European Regions," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 61(2), pages 235-259, June.
    16. Zhangqi Zhong & Lingyun He, 2022. "Macro-Regional Economic Structural Change Driven by Micro-founded Technological Innovation Diffusion: An Agent-Based Computational Economic Modeling Approach," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 59(2), pages 471-525, February.
    17. Roberta Benini, 2016. "Some key policy issues related to technology change, knowledge and absorption capacities in a country comparison perspective," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 49(2), pages 95-112, August.
    18. Mikaela Backman & Johan Klaesson & Özge Öner, 2017. "Innovation in the hospitality industry," Tourism Economics, , vol. 23(8), pages 1591-1614, December.
    19. Bonnín Roca, Jaime & Vaishnav, Parth & Morgan, Granger M. & Fuchs, Erica & Mendonça, Joana, 2021. "Technology Forgiveness: Why emerging technologies differ in their resilience to institutional instability," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    20. Cristina Chaminade & Monica Plechero, 2015. "Do Regions Make a Difference? Regional Innovation Systems and Global Innovation Networks in the ICT Industry," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 215-237, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Science; Industrial Innovation; Enhanced Autonomy; Scotland;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O25 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Industrial Policy

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa15p1014. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Gunther Maier (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.ersa.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.