The evolution of devolution

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With the devolved nationalist governments of Wales and Scotland having been elected this May, it is timely to look at the progress of devolution over the decades. How successful has it been across the four nations and have hopes and aspirations been realised? What of the challenges ahead for the UK government’s relationships with all the devolved governments plus the opportunities for a ‘devolution revolution’ in England, with plans to establish new mayoral authorities and elect mayors in a growing number of regions? Will the devolution evolution continue to grow? 

Chair: David McGill, Clerk/Chief Executive of the Scottish Parliament

Panellists:

Professor Nicola McEwen is Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Glasgow, and Director of the university’s Centre for Public Policy. Nicola has published widely on devolution, multi-level government, territorial politics, and how these influence public policy and are shaped by electoral competition.

Professor Katy Hayward is Professor of Political Sociology at Queen’s University, Belfast, where she is also a Co-Director of the Centre for International Borders Research. She was elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy in 2023 and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. She was a Europe’s Futures Fellow for 2023-24 and was a UK in a Changing Europe Senior Fellow, leading a project on the post-Brexit status and future of Northern Ireland.

Dr Jack Newman is a Lecturer in Politics and Public Administration at the University of Liverpool. His research considers how place-based policymaking is affected by multi-level political systems. This includes an ongoing focus on spatial inequality. Jack’s policy work has impacted the English devolution agenda and public health policy.