Government Social Research
Philip Cooke, Nick Clifton and Dylan Jones-Evans (231 words)
This project investigates the impact of devolution on the reorganisation of the machinery and the content of policy for financing economic development in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It has a particular interest in learning how far devolution has made possible territorial experimentation and differentiation in development funding policies around the UK.
The first stage of research trawled documentary and statistical material to profile the economic trajectories and recent policy developments and shifts in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The second stage of the project involves around seventy-five elite-actor interviews to investigate how and why specific institutional funding profiles emerged. These are largely complete, some follow up interviews are required. Third, representatives of seventy-five firms in receipt of financial assistance are to be interviewed to explore experiences of the value of public and private involvement in the funding of economic development. This is largely complete for Wales; upcoming for Scotland and Northern Ireland.