ESRC Society Today

The Devolution and Constitutional Change programme was set up by ESRC in 2000 to explore the series of devolution reforms which have established new political institutions in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, London and the other English regions since 1997. This includes the setting up of the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Greater London Authority, and new institutions in the English regions.

The research examines a wide range of matters relating to devolution, constitutional change and the consequential effects. The programme has three themes: nationalism and national identity; governance and constitution; and economic and social policy.

Major constitutional changes in the UK provide a timely and unrepeatable opportunity for political analysis and social and economic research. Until recently, the social scientific study of devolution in the UK was underdeveloped, despite a brief flowering in the 1970s when devolution was last on the UK policy agenda. The objectives of this programme are:

• to understand the dynamics of change and its historical context, and to analyse the extent to which future developments are determined by past commitments or altered by economic, cultural and social pressures interacting with new political structures
• to evaluate intended, unintended and unanticipated political, social and economic consequences of change for England and the authority and institutions of Westminster as well as for the territories subject to devolution
• to inform policymakers, opinion formers and the public about the process of devolution and what is occurring, and the alternatives for change based on evaluations of UK practice and drawing on expertise from abroad.    

Further Information

contact: Prof Charlie Jeffery, University of Edinburgh
tel: + 44 (0)131 650 4266
email: charlie.jeffery@ed.ac.uk
web: http://www.devolution.ac.uk/

ESRC Contact: victoria.crossley@esrc.ac.uk  tel: 01793 413061