Undergraduate Course: Comparing Scottish Devolution (PLIT10080)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Why is Scotland's position in the UK so unique, and how does it compare to other contexts in Europe? Since the late 1990s, Scotland has been a devolved part of the UK, with its own Parliament and Government, gaining significant powers over key areas such as health, education and the environment. This course will explore how devolution has shaped Scottish politics and policy. You will compare Scotland's experience with that of Wales, Northern Ireland and England, as well as other European countries such as Spain, Germany, France and Italy. Through real-world debates and case studies, you will examine how power is distributed across different levels of government and what these arrangements mean for democracy, public policy and society today. |
| Course description |
How does devolution in the UK, and in Scotland, more specifically, compare to federalism in Germany or regionalism in Spain and Italy? What role do nationalism and pro-independence mobilisation play in shaping multi-level governance? How have devolved institutions influenced key policy areas, from social welfare to climate action? How do they respond to political and socio-economic crises? These are just some of the questions students will explore as they engage with real-world policy debates, official documents, and reports.
The first part of the course focuses on institutions, party competition, and leadership in devolved Scotland, as well as in other devolved and regional contexts within the UK and beyond.
The second part shifts from politics to policies, analysing policymaking processes, the interactions between central and regional governments in policy formulation, and the resulting policy outputs and outcomes in multi-level systems.
Based in Edinburgh, home to the Scottish Parliament and Government, this course aims to go beyond the classroom by offering opportunities, whenever possible, to interact with policymakers and practitioners working within Scottish institutions, as well as to benefit from the extensive research expertise of the School through the Centre on Constitutional Change. Depending on interest and availability, students may also have the chance to visit the Scottish Parliament and attend First Minister's Questions. Whether students are interested in party politics, institutions, policymaking, or comparative governance, this course will equip them with the analytical tools needed to understand devolution in action and make international comparisons.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 4 Politics/International Relations courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 30,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
166 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Essay - 50% - max 2500 words
Policy Briefing - 50% - max 2500 words
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of diverse forms of territorial governance.
- Evaluate and critically analyse competing theoretical perspectives and empirical analyses concerning territorial politics in Scotland and other cases.
- Contextualise Scottish devolution through comparative analysis, drawing parallels and distinctions with devolution across the UK and other forms of territorial governance in multi-level systems.
- Apply insights from literature on devolution, territorial politics, and multilevel governance to address specific policy issues or challenges.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
This course has a quota. Preference will be given to Politics and IR students |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Davide Vampa
Tel:
Email: d.vampa@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Dani Langdridge
Tel:
Email: dani.langdridge@ed.ac.uk |
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