Comments on: A New Direction for the Conservatives on Devolution? https://blogs.sps.ed.ac.uk/referendum/a-new-direction-for-the-conservatives-on-devolution/ Informing the Debate Fri, 06 Jul 2018 14:37:22 +0000 hourly 1 By: Michael Clouser https://blogs.sps.ed.ac.uk/referendum/a-new-direction-for-the-conservatives-on-devolution/#comment-52131 Thu, 05 Jun 2014 20:50:07 +0000 http://blogs.sps.ed.ac.uk/referendum/?p=824#comment-52131 Thanks Coree for an insightful post on whether or not there is indeed a new direction for the Scottish Conservatives on the Scottish case and potential for further devolved powers. The Academic Entrepreneur agrees that there is apparent recycling of English policies for a Scottish agenda. However, through reading the reports of the other major political parties, he is convinced that the larger problem is that the bigger picture to be concerned with is the recycling of industrial age policies. The leaders of these parties, most of them baby boomers and beyond, are stuck in the mindframe of the glory days of the factory model and use it as an underlying assumption unbeknowst even to themselves. This is of major concern for the progress and economic growth of not only Scotland, but also the United Kingdom as a whole. The opportunity of policy should start with the innovators, the entrepreneurs, the creatives, the artists, the knowledge translators. For example, when it comes to tax policy, as the Tories are given credit for addressing now, policies that would increase the flow of entrepreneurs into Scotland, and the leveraging of knowledge assets should be considered. What about giving the Scottish Parliament the right to not only lower taxes and spending, but to create tax free zones in and around universities for startup companies and innovative branches of firms that wish to open up new subsidiaries in the country? This might seem really liberal, or conservative, depending on which historical meaning of these terms you wish to use in this context. Sound wild? Not really, especially as New York State has done just that very thing, as the Academic Entrepreneur highlights in a recent blog post “Triple Helix Power Play: Cornell University and others in New York State to Provide Tax-Free Zones for State Start-ups” http://academicentrepreneur.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/triple-helix-power-play-cornell-university-and-others-in-new-york-state-to-provide-tax-free-zones-for-state-start-ups/. Now this is tax policy for an innovation economy.

These and other innovation policies for the Third Wave economy should be prescribed, and the powers that enable them under consideration for further devolution. The greatest lever of policy amongst them all is immigration. It is immigration policy that holds the most promise for liberalisation that will lead to knowledge gain, innovation, creativity, and new venture creation including born global organizations. However, this is the one area that none of the parties want to give up much control of to a devolved Scotland. Interestingly, it is also this policy that is being exploited as the most compelling lever of influence by the UKIP. Surely liberal immigration policy raises other issues such as a more stringent border, but the cost -benefit analysis of such I have yet to see or even hear discussed.

The empowered Triple Helix in Scotland can leverage knowledge resources and create economic goodwill and growth without minimal ecological impact. The days of the industrial revolution are long over. What is needed is a complete re-visitation of stale policies and institutions that are getting in the way of creativity and innovation .

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