The University of Strathclyde
Yesterday, the Scottish Government published “COVID 19 – A Framework for Decision Making”. This document sets out how and under what circumstances the SG will take decisions on relaxing the current lockdown restrictions that we have all been getting used to. The First Minister presented this as an attempt to …
Yesterday, a framework for decision making… tomorrow, what next? Read More »
This article was written by Stephen Boyle, a visiting researcher at the Fraser of Allander Institute. Scotland’s universities have been successful in attracting international students. Among the richest ‘western’ countries, only in Luxembourg is the share of such students greater than in Scotland. In 2018-19, 23% of enrolments in Scotland’s …
Today we’ve received new labour market statistics from the ONS. It is important to note at the outset that these relate to the period before the UK economy went in to lockdown. This means that the data today tell us little, if anything, about how the economy is doing right …
New labour market data and other economic indicators… Read More »
In an earlier article, we discussed the fallout from the current crisis and argued that it will take time to ‘return to normal’. But the scale and nature of the shock means that this ‘new normal’ might look quite different in a number of ways. In the months to come, …
After a number of days of an announcement being anticipated, yesterday evening the Chancellor announced new measures to support self-employed workers through the COVID-19 pandemic. Those that are self-employed will now receive a taxable grant worth up to 80% of their average monthly trading profits over the past three years. …
Self-employment in Scotland and the new support measures Read More »
We were highly puzzled by some recent newspaper stories that seem to accuse Scottish Ministers of ‘burying bad news’ after revised data on Scotland’s economy was published last week. We think this is unfair. So what is the story?
The First Minister continues to push for a second independence referendum ‘before the end of 2020’. There are of course a number of political hurdles to cross before this could happen. And these will no doubt dominate debates in the press and social media. But will the Scottish Government be …
Introduction Thank you Andrew and can I add my welcome to everyone for coming along this evening. I must confess to only knowing of Sir Alexander Stone as the name on the building at Glasgow where my economics lectures used to be held. For those of you who don’t know, …
This afternoon, the Scottish Parliament will debate a proposal by the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee for a Committee Bill on Pre-release Access. This is unusual. Most bills are put forward by government rather than Committees. So this is an important event and covers an crucial aspect of the …
Perception and independence of economic statistics Read More »
Every year when GERS is published, there is a new angle that seems to gain traction and ignite a debate about the accuracy of the figures. This year’s is a rather misguided interpretation of the notional net fiscal balance produced in GERS. These have been variations on: How can 8% …