'The Scottish Question': implications for the rest of UK and Scottish local governance

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This project involves undertaking a (i) review of existing information and data gathered over the applicant's career, (ii) conducting further primary research (gathering new material, conducting elite interviews and comparative research on local governance), (iii) engaging in a range of novel knowledge exchange activities and (iv) the production of academic articles. The central aim is to explore the implications of the Scottish Question for rUK and for local governance in Scotland. The applicant will engage with policy-makers in rUK and at local level in Scotland on these matters and also with the BBC to develop engagement with a new cohort of voters, ie. 16/17 year olds in Scotland. The applicant has gathered a considerable body of information on the SQ over three decades. This will contribute to informing debates amongst the public and policy-makers in different parts of the UK about the implications of the current referendum for rUK. However, the applicant has identified key gaps revealed by this body of research. This fellowship would allow the applicant to spend some time researching in both the National Archives at Kew and the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh. The applicant will also conduct interviews with elites in the London, North East of England, Wales and Northern Ireland on implications of the Scottish Question.The fellowship will also allow the applicant to develop his work on local governance in Scotland. This current research involves interviewing key local officials and politicians on post-referendum local governance. The fellowship will allow this to be developed to include comparative research on localism and local governance in other states. It will allow him to carry out research in Shetland considering the place of Shetland in debates on the SQ. The fellowship will allow the applicant allow the applicant to engage with the policy-making community throughout Scotland on these issues.There will be a heavier emphasis on completing the research element of the fellowship period in the first half of the period, followed by greater emphasis on knowledge exchange in the second. However, each activity (research and knowledge exchange) will run throughout the fellowship.The knowledge exchange activities will take a number of forms, chosen to suit to the target audience. This will include:producing and presenting public papers in different places in rUK and different localities in Scotland;collaborating with the BBC to engage with the new electoral cohort of 16/17 year olds;writing newspaper articles and blogs using web and twitter and web dissemination;making every effort to attend and speak at appropriate public and policy events and conferences and relevant opportunities to disseminate findings;production of series of accessible papers on 'The Scottish Question and...'writing academic papers.