Economy
Divided nation – Germany’s refugee crisis
Germany’s welcoming culture for more than a million refugees last year is under siege as Angela Merkel struggles to retain control. The Far Right is capitalising on doubts and anxieties, notably since the New Year…
SG borrowing to keep the economy buoyant
John Swinney, finance secretary, is about to borrow money to help finance new construction projects and stimulate growth and jobs just when the economy is turning down. It’s a sign of things to come as…
Why no deal on fiscal detriment?
As talks on the fiscal framework remain deadlocked, is John Swinney holding out for the best deal he can get or looking to rzeje3ct anything on offer for domestic political gain? A St Andrew’s House…
We need to talk about the health of our nation
Scottish Government spending on health is being cut in real terms. But the key political issue is what kind of health service we want in Scotland and whether – and how – we’re ready to…
Goodbye Silicon Glen, Hello Berlin Adlershof
Scotland used to fight fiercely for foreign direct investment to set up here and create hundreds or thousands of jobs as well as a domestic supply chain. But those once-golden days are over. Scottish industry…
Taxing times in Scotland: Kezia’s penny
Scottish policy debate has moved into a new and noisier phase as the parties seek to differentiate themselves on tax. This greater fiscal candour is to be welcomed, even if it rips up the established…
Planning for a post-oil Scotland
The oil price shows no sign of recovery any time soon; thousands of jobs are being lost; the big producers have left the North Sea and the smaller ones are following suit. Scotland needs to…
Scotland through the fiscal looking glass
The Scottish Government has dismissed pressure from Labour to offset cuts in spending on local services with a 1p on the Scottish Rate of Income Tax. It rejects pressure from the Treasury to agree a…
Basic income no, job guarantee yes
Inequality is one of the biggest challenges facing the global economy as the 1% get richer and richer. Industry 4.0 may worsen the divide as millions go jobless. Some, like the Scottish Greens, say a…
Aberdeen misses the boat in the oil boom
Nicola Sturgeon and David Cameron have rushed to Aberdeen to pledge financial support to surmount the oil industry slump. But the city was never given the tools to benefit fully from the boom, argues the…
TTIP could damage Scotland’s food industry
The negotiations over TTIP come with generalised criticisms of secrecy and corporate skullduggery. Here, in the fourth of our Napier student pieces, the author soberly examines its potentially damaging impact on Scotland’s food and drinks…
Window for a Scottish natural resource fund closing
Time is running out for Scotland to create a Norwegian-style sovereign wealth fund based on oil revenues. But what if the Scottish Government decided instead to establish a renewables-based fund? A Dane looks at the…