As the Scottish independence referendum approaches, economic questions have come to dominate the public debate on Scotland’s future. Would a new border affect Scotland’s trade with the rest of the UK and, if so, by how much? What new economic policies could an independent Scotland pursue? And how would independence affect Scotland’s per-capita income and prospects for economic growth?

The School of Economics at the University of Edinburgh, together with the Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE), is pleased to announce that it will host a public panel discussion on the economics of new borders.

The aim of the event is to showcase what methods economists use to evaluate the possible costs and benefits of independence, discuss the experience of other countries and explore the implications for Scotland.

The Panellists

• James E. Anderson is a Professor of Economics at Boston College. He is a research associate at the distinguished National Bureau of Economic Research, and serves on the editorial board of the Review of International Economics. Among other topics, his research explores the relationship between trade within and across country borders.
• Enrico Spolaore is a Professor of Economics at Tufts University. He is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and editor of a forthcoming book on Culture and Economic Growth. Among other topics, his research explores the economic determinants of country size.
• Stephen Farrington is Deputy Director of the Economics Group at HM Treasury, and responsible for the Treasury’s analytical work on the Scotland independence debate. Previously, he served as the head of the economy forecast team at the Office of Budget Responsibility.

The panel will be chaired by Robert Zymek (School of Economics, University of Edinburgh).

Please note participation is free but registration is required due to venue capacity.

To book a space please visit the online registration facility (via Eventbrite): http://tinyurl.com/ohao3zz

Venue details: http://www.ed.ac.uk/maps?building=st-cecilias-hall

• 15 January: Number 1. Nicola Sturgeon MSP (Deputy First Minister)
• 22 January: Number 2: Joahn Lamont MSP (Leader Scottish Labour Party)
• 30 January: Number 3: Patrick Harvie MSP (Leader Scottish Greens Party)
• 04 February: Number 4: Wille Rennie MSP (Leader Scottish LibDems)
• 13 February: Number 5: Ruth Davidson MSP (Leader Scottish Conservative Party)

Learn more and book your tickets.

Rt Hon Carwyn Jones, First Minister for Wales

The First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Carwyn Jones, will give a lecture on ‘Wales, Scotland and the United Kingdom’ at 6.30-7.30pm on Wednesday 20 November in the Raeburn Room.

You can register to attend at http://firstministerofwales.eventbrite.co.uk

The Fiscal Implications of an Independent Scotland
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Edinburgh, UK
18 November 2013

If you would like to book a place for this event, please contact the IFS events team – events@ifs.org.uk

Exploring Independence after the White Paper
30 November 2013
Edinburgh, UK

Registration for Exploring Independence after the White Paper is now open. Registration is free, but space is limited to 200 people. Please register your place on Eventbrite.

Join a panel of welfare experts, organisations and MSPs to discuss the issues of the welfare system, examining what could happen in the event of a yes or a no vote in 2014.

• Mary Kinninmonth, Citizens Advice Bureau
• John Dickie – Child Action Poverty Group
• Michael McMahon MSP
• Shona Robison MSP
• Nicola McEwen, University of Edinburgh
• Susan Dalgety, Chair

Tickets are available online, or at the Central Library reception.

http://5mqwelfaredebate.eventbrite.co.uk

The Academy of Government, in Association with the Fabian Society, is hosting a Scottish Fabian Seminar.

Speakers include:

• Sheila Gilmore, MP
• Dave Moxham, Chair, STUC
• Dr Ingela Nauman, Senior Lecturer, Social Policy

When it comes to welfare & the constitutional debate a great number of questions are yet to be answered. How can we address poverty & deprivation in a modern & progressive Scotland, ensuring the rights of working people are adequately protected in the tumultuous economic climate? Could the post referendum landscape see us doing things differently? Do our attitudes to welfare as a society in Scotland really differ from those south of the border?

New College, 1 Mound Place, Edinburgh, EH1 2LU on Wednesday 30 October at 5:45pm for 6pm, followed by a reception at 7pm. Wine and light refreshments will be served.

The event will be chaired by David McCrone and introduced by Jamie Maxwell. Speakers will include Owen Dudley Edwards, Margo MacDonald, Robin McAlpine, Joyce McMillan and Andy Wightman, followed by time for Q&A, comments and discussion.

All welcome. Entry is free. Places may be reserved via Eventbrite 
or email events@luath.co.uk

A map showing New College is at http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/divinity/map (enter through main entrance on Mound Place and proceed to doorway on right hand side courtyard opposite John Knox statue).

Challenges to Campaigning: Examining the Challenges Election Campaigning Faces Today

Friday, October 18, 2013 – 10:30 to 17:00
Informatics Forum, University of Edinburgh

One-day mini conference bringing together a range of PhD and early career researchers, established academics, and practitioners to examine the challenges facing election campaigns today and how they can remain relevant and effective in the Twenty First Century, particularly amongst our youngest electors. The conference includes an roundtable session on Campaigning in the referendum on Scottish independence.

Attendance is free. Sign up at: https://challengestocampaigning.eventbrite.co.uk

AQMeN

The AQMeN network will host an event as part of the Festival of Social Science.

What does Scotland think about independence?

What do people in Scotland think about the issues surrounding the referendum on independence in September 2014? Learn, debate and influence the analysis of up to date social science evidence that relates to a matter of crucial importance to the future of Scotland and the UK.

The event will feature special research projects including:

• the use of the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey to investigate public views on major questions of policy that will be affected by the outcome of the referendum;
• the development and results from the first systematic assessment of the views of 14-17 year olds to understand how new, young voters are responding to the unprecedented opportunity to influence the future of the country;
• the results of an investigation on the impact of social media on public opinions relating to the refer­endum.

Wednesday 6th November 2013, 09:15-16:30
Royal College of Physicians, 9 Queen Street, Edinburgh

Register here to attend:

http://www.aqmen.ac.uk/events/foss2013

ESRC

The ESRC is offering funding for three UK postgraduate students to attend all six security seminars, which run from September 2013 to September 2015.

This seminar series will explore the implications of Scottish independence and constitutional change for security governance in Scotland and the UK. The seminars will span the referendum date, producing independent research evidence to inform policymaking and public debate in advance of the vote and in response to the outcome.

The seminars will bring together speakers for research and knowledge exchange from the intelligence and security community, UK Government departments with security competences, parliamentary committees providing security oversight, EU institutions, Scottish Civil and Parliamentary Services, Scottish Government, political parties, local government and the Police Service of Scotland. A team of academic security and constitutional experts will facilitate the seminars and provide independent intellectual input and synthesis, supplemented by invited speakers from the UK and comparative European countries. For more information visit: http://wp.me/p2nD2X-1N

Seminar titles:

1) October 2013: Assessing security governance in the UK and Scotland under current arrangements.

2) January 2014: The threat environment of the UK and Scotland in the context of the UK National Security Strategy.

3) May 2014: The foreign policy and comparative aspects of security governance for the UK, Scotland and its neighbours.

4) September 2014: Current and prospective accountability and oversight arrangements in the UK and Scotland.

5) January 2015: The security governance implications of the referendum outcome: independence or interdependence?

6) May 2015: Lessons from the series for understanding security governance. Future research programmes, maintenance of links and dialogue, and project outputs.

Postgraduate funding:

– Three postgraduate researchers will be selected to participate in the series on the basis of the quality of their research and its relevance to the seminar themes.

– Candidates should currently be undertaking a PhD or postdoctoral research in the UK.

– We will offer the selected candidates travel and accommodation costs (as appropriate) to the six seminars in Edinburgh from anywhere in the UK.

– We will ask the three selected candidates to make presentations on a relevant topic in the final seminar. We may also ask for some basic help with research assistance and organisation for the seminars.

– Our intention is that the postgraduate presentations will form the basis of journal articles, which we will offer to supervise, edit, and include in any collective outputs of the series if appropriate.

Interested candidates should send a one-page summary of their research and a CV to andrew.neal@ed.ac.uk by Friday 6th September. Selected candidates will be informed by Monday 16th September.

Other postgraduates and academic researchers may be able to attend the seminars as appropriate, unfunded and space permitting.

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