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Regeneration and Enterprise in Scotland

Regeneration and Enterprise in Scotland. Chik Collins, School of Social Sciences, University of Paisley SURF Open Forum: Being Enterprising Around Regeneration. James Watt College, Kilwinning, 29 th June 2006. Enterprise as a special key to regeneration?

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Regeneration and Enterprise in Scotland

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  1. Regeneration and Enterprise in Scotland Chik Collins, School of Social Sciences, University of Paisley SURF Open Forum: Being Enterprising Around Regeneration. James Watt College, Kilwinning, 29th June 2006

  2. Enterprise as a special key to regeneration? • 1980s: deeply unpopular – “thatcherism” and the case for a Scottish parliament • 1999-2006: Enterprise (still) as a special key to regeneration?

  3. 1980s-2006: regeneration and degeneration • People and Place (2006): More clearly emphasizing private enterprise, and addressed to it, than anything before. • Emphasis on BIG business over start-ups and ‘entrepreneurs’. • Important shift with significant implications: incl. growing criticism of the ‘poverty industry’ and those who work in it.

  4. Scotland and “the dependency culture”. • Ayrshire as part of the ‘Soviet bloc’ (Scottish Enterprise). • The virtues of enterprise: “The beatings will stop when morale improves”. • What a curious idea? Problem of evidence ….“Yir granny kid tell ye ..”

  5. Social mobility: 1930s and 2000s • Liberal economics (1930s) and Neo-liberal economics (2000s): mantra of markets and free enterprise. • Neo-liberalism associated with inequality and poverty; social breakdown and community degeneration. • Wild-eyed radicalism Vs ‘yir granny’.

  6. Post WWII: improvements. • The ‘rediscovery of poverty’ and the birth of ‘community regeneration’: the CDPs (1968-1977). • Rise of neo-liberalism • 1987: ‘enterprise culture’ and ‘dependency culture’.

  7. New Life for Urban Scotland (1988) • ‘Dependency’ and ‘enterprise’ • Peripheral estates to become ‘desirable areas’: the end of regeneration ….. • Leading role of the private sector and enterprise …

  8. New Life: the actual outcomes • Unrealistic expectations about the private sector and enterprise … • Not focusing on real causes of degeneration, while creating false view of potential for regeneration through enterprise … • True also of PPAs/RPs and SIPs: Talk of learning while steadfastly not learning.

  9. Same thing in Better Communities in Scotland: Closing the Gap (2002) • A Smart, Successful Scotland (2001) • 2003/2004: rethinking of ‘enterprise’ in ‘the new Scotland’

  10. Royal Bank of Scotland: Wealth Creation in Scotland (2004) “The focus of current policy initiatives tends to be on entrepreneurs, business start-ups and a new generation of risk-takers. This is understandable, but it is not the whole picture. We also need strong, efficient and competitive companies at all levels …. Large, globally focussed companies are key components in a successful economy” (p.4). “Several of Scotland’s major firms have a strong public sector heritage. Within the top 20 firms, the recent background of 14 could be argued to be significantly influenced by the public sector. This influence has been either directly through a privatisation (e.g. Scottish Power), or indirectly, through the liberalisation of a sector that previously had a strong public sector involvement … “Scottish Water, if privatised, would rank high up on the list. Further liberalisation in other sectors (e.g. health, education) could also provide significant growth opportunities for Scottish firms, such as service providers, in the future. ” (p.11)

  11. A Smart, Successful Scotland (2nd Edn, 2004):But how to achieve those growth opportunities? • People and Place (2006): “stepping up the pace in transforming Scotland”; “providing private sector partners with clarity and certainty about the sustained commitment of the public sector”, etc. • Poorest communities as strategically important to privatising agenda – esp. in health and education. • The ‘moral’ case for ‘radicalism’ …. And then disseminate from there …. • “The Scottish Executive is open for business” on regeneration.

  12. URCs as the ‘hot houses’ • Broader dissemination through CPPs – to poor areas and then more widely. • Role of Communities Scotland and the Scottish Centre for Regeneration: the new ‘best practice’ – sexy and good for your career.

  13. Politics: softening up the likely opposition in the public sector in various ways – including accusing them of being Stalinist or soviets … • Community Engagement: how corporations like to work when investing in potentially risky areas. • The Scottish Infrastructure Investment Plan: Conference May 2005.

  14. Implications for poor communities …. look at New Orleans. • Implications for policy in the longer term … look to the USA. • Implications for workers in the field: the developing critique of the ‘poverty industry’ as ‘self-serving’ • Implications for ‘enterprise’ and smaller businesses …. the Stagecoach model.

  15. Who would’ve thought it? • Jack McConnell and Donald Trump: ‘A man’s a man fur a’ that’ – unless he’s an entrepreneur (‘more of a man than you’ll ever be’). • Scottish Labour versus English Conservatives • Private sector doesn’t have all the answers and can learn from the public sector: “Instead of constantly beating up on the public sector and telling it to be more like the private sector, let’s be more reasonable and constructive”. • …… says David Cameron!!!

  16. Who would’ve thought it? • Enterprise? …. The ‘starship enterprise’! • “BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!”

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