The Strategic State: A case study of devolved government in Scotland

Recent government failures and the persistent presence of wicked issues have shed a critical light on the performance of governments around the world. Increasingly there are calls for government to move away from new public management inspired reforms, towards more collaborative and joined-up forms of governance with government, business and third sector bodies working together to create public value and sustainable development. In the case of Scotland, these issues rose to prominence following devolution and received significant political support with the election (as a minority government), in 2007, of a political party (Scottish National Party) whose primary aim is to re-establish Scotland as an independent country. This created a window of opportunity for the Scottish Government to experiment with new strategic forms of government which were distinct from other parts of the UK. The results of these reforms are contested, but ongoing debates highlight some of the challenges inherent in developing a strategic state even in the context of a relatively small polity.