Reform of public services in Scotland have been undermined by a focus on constitutional matters and an empowerment agenda.
This provides an overview of key developments in public services reform since the SNP came to power in Scotland in 2007.
Drawing on the public value leadership and network governance literature, it argues that the combination of an outcomes-focused approach (pursued via the SNP Government’s National Performance Framework), a commitment to an ‘empowerment agenda’, together with the challenges of national ‘policy distraction’ towards constitutional matters have served to undermine attempts to engender national public value leadership within a network governance context.
It draws on interviews with public sector actors and a range of policy documents and academic commentaries. It concludes by identifying opportunities for establishing co-ordinated leadership structures and highlights the political, constitutional, and public finance challenges that need to be addressed in this context. The article identifies key governance lessons for devolved polities based on the Scottish case.