Public Finance
Scotland the Brief
Author / Creator: Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp
Media type: book
Date published: 2020
All you need to know about Scotland's economy, its finances, independence and Brexit.
Nationalism and the politics of austerity: comparing Catalonia, Scotland, and Québec
Author / Creator: Daniel Beland
Media type: Academic Paper
Date published:
This analysis of the impact of austerity on nationalism stresses the role of blame as it interacts with political institutions and fiscal pressures.
Minimizing the Cost of Union: Fiscal Autonomy and the Case of Scotland
Author / Creator: Paul Hallwood
Media type: Academic Paper
Date published: 2020
Argues for federalism in public funding where taxation is devolved. This would improve the link between public finance and democracy.
Ambiguous no more: Time to de-mystify the Barnett Formula
Author / Creator: J. R. Cuthbert
Media type: Academic Paper
Date published: 2020
The overall effect of the new Barnett funding system is to place Scotland in a vulnerable position, where it is at much greater risk of falling into a cycle of economic decline relative to the rest of the UK.
The Barnett Formula
Author / Creator: Matthew Keep
Media type: Briefing paper
Date published:
The Barnett formula calculates the annual change in the block grant. The formula doesn’t determine the total size of the block grant just the yearly change. For devolved services, the Barnett formula aims to give each country the same pounds-per-person change in funding.
Barnett formula
Author / Creator: Wikipedia
Media type: Wikipedia
Date published: 2021
The Barnett formula is a mechanism used by the Treasury in the UK to automatically adjust the amounts of public expenditure allocated to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to reflect changes in spending levels allocated to public services in England.
Parting Ways How Scotland and the remaining UK could negotiate the separation of debts and assets
Author / Creator: Craig Dalzell
Media type: Policy Paper
Date published: 2020
Upon declaring independence, the public assets must be divided by sensitive negotiations.
Scotland spends 20% more per head on public services than England
Author / Creator: Claire Milne
Media type: Fact check
Date published:
It’s correct that spending on public services in Scotland is 20% higher per head than in England. But this money comes from the block grant from the UK Treasury, rather than from England specifically. Also the only areas of England that are not in deficit according to this are London and the South east of England.
Would an independent Scotland have to keep the pound and cut public spending?
Author / Creator: Joël Reland
Media type: Fact check
Date published:
Public spending in an independent Scotland could continue to grow. This does depend on sufficient growth in the economy after independence.
HS2 will not cost Scotland £17 billion
Author / Creator: Full Fact
Media type: Fact check
Date published:
There is no evidence for the claim that HS2 will cost Scotland. In effect, all money spent by Scotland on HS2 is returned through the Barnett formula.
What are the implications of independence for public revenues and spending?
Author / Creator: Graeme Roy
Media type: Assessment report
Date published: 2021
There is no question that an independent Scotland could run a sustainable budget. But like the UK, an independent Scotland would face major fiscal challenges both in the short and long run. Based upon the latest data, an independent Scotland is likely to face greater challenges than the UK as a whole (at least in the short-term).