Newspoll reported in 2000 that by a margin of 70 to 28 per cent, Australians would prefer the gap between rich and poor to get smaller rather than have the nation's overall wealth grow as quickly as possible. This article examines the reasons for the increase in the dispersion of earnings, and...

The rise of the meso level of government in Europe can be explained by the pressures of managing national diversity, functional restructuring and political change. Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom all have such a level but taking very different forms. All have embarked on a second round of...

An independent Scotland would be a small European state. Small states may be at a disadvantage in world markets but can also adapt successfully. There are different modes of adaptation, notably the market-liberal mode and the social investment state. Either mode is dependent on internal...

The rise of the meso level of government in Europe can be explained by the pressures of managing national diversity, functional restructuring and political change. Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom all have such a level but taking very different forms. All have embarked on a second round of...

Despite strong economic growth and low inflation, many Australians believe that the benefits and costs have not been fairly shared and that inequality has been rising. Indeed, according to Newspoll, 'by a margin of 70-28 per cent, Australians would prefer the gap between rich and poor to get...

Keating M. and Stevenson L. (2006) Rural policy in Scotland after devolution, Regional Studies 40, 397-407. Governments across Europe, encouraged by the European Union, are moving from an agriculture policy, defined in sectoral terms, to a rural policy, with a spatial focus. Rural policy is a...

Keating M. (2005) Policy convergence and divergence in Scotland under devolution, Regional Studies 39 , 453—463. The scope for divergence of public policy between Scotland and the rest of the UK is constrained by institutional, political and contextual factors. The policy capacity of the...