UofG Spotlight

UofG Spotlight is back for series 8! And we're starting with the Scottish Government's Programme for Government, announced by First Minister John Swinney on 1 September.
 
We discuss what's in (and not in) the new five-year Programme for Government, from the four over-arching themes and nine new Bills, to the detail of public service reform, independence and devolution, prevention, food price caps, and lots more.
 
Regular podcast hosts Professor Nicola McEwen and Professor Kezia Dugdale are joined by leading voices in Scottish public policy and politics:
Sarah Davidson, CEO of Carnegie UK and Honorary Professor at the Centre for Public Policy
Peter MacMahon, writer, broadcaster and commentator on Scottish and UK politics
A brilliant conversation on what this announcement means for politics and policy in Scotland in the coming terms.
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In this episode of Spotlight, we turn from devolved politics to global challenges, asking the important question: do we still value development aid? 
Host Nicola McEwen is joined by leading researchers from the University of Glasgow and Queen Margaret University to unpack the changing landscape of international development. Together, they explore the long-term decline in UK and global aid commitments, the real-world consequences for communities in some of the world's most vulnerable settings and the new approaches to development finance emerging. This work is being supported by the Scottish Council for Global Affairs.  
Later in the episode, Nicola speaks with SCIAF's Director of Public Engagement, Ben Wilson, about Scotland's distinctive role, the Scottish Government's commitments, and whether initiatives like aid match funding could create a different path forward. 
As global pressures mount and political priorities shift, what does the future hold for development aid - and for the communities who depend on it?

In the final episode of our election podcast series, now 'After the Elections', we look at the results of the Scottish election, what it means for the future of public policy, and how soon we might see the impact of challenging public finances.
We're joined by two guests, Graeme Roy, Professor of Economics at the University of Glasgow and Chair of the Scottish Fiscal Commission, and Kate Higgins, former Special Adviser to the Scottish Government.   
How hard is it to deliver change in government?  
What is the fiscal context facing the new administration?  
What is the likelihood of an independence referendum?
Can the MSPs find common ground, in a parliament that is more diverse and ideologically fragmented than ever before? 
 
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Over the last month, the Centre for Public Policy has published a range of academic insights from University of Glasgow experts, on justice, the economy, migration, the constitution and more. 
 
Visit our website to find out more: 
https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/publicpolicy/elections/

In this episode of our On the Elections podcast series, we're looking to England and Wales, where elections are also being held tomorrow, 7th May.
In England, almost 5,000 councillors will be elected across 134 of England's 317 councils. And the Welsh Parliament – or Senedd – is also holding its election, with a new voting system and a 50% increase in the number of Senedd members being elected. 
 
We're joined by Professor Jane Green, Director of the Nuffield Politics Research Centre and Co-Director of the British Election Study, and Professor Laura McAllister from Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre and one of Wales' leading academics. 
 
With Jane, we discuss England, from whether this election will be a test for Keir Starmer's government, to bloc voting, how well we expect to see individual parties do from Reform UK to the Greens, and more. And with Laura, we talk about Wales, from how the new electoral system might play out in the Senedd election, to the latest polls and frontrunners, and what has gone wrong for Welsh Labour.  
 
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Read our joint report with Ipsos - Does Independence Still Matter?:
https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/publicpolicy/news/headline_1264446_en.html
Visit the Centre for Public Policy for more expert insights, from justice, to migration, the constitution, the economy, and more:
https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/publicpolicy/elections/

This week on the UofG Spotlight On the Elections podcast, we're talking about whether the next Scottish government can fix public services. 
 
What are the parties proposing to fix the problems in public services and help to sustain them into the future? What should they be doing? 
 
To talk about this, hosts Nicola McEwen and Kezia Dugdale are joined by Frances Mair, the Norrie Miller Professor of General Practice and Head of the School of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow, and Sarah Davidson, Chief Executive at Carnegie UK, and Honorary Professor here at the Centre for Public Policy. 
 
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Follow the election day by day with the Centre for Public Policy on our website including live lunchtime webinars on key issues in the campaign, and written insights on policy issues facing the country.  
 
https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/publicpolicy/elections/