Paper examines digital transition upon Scottish independence

NEW IT systems for an independent Scotland would cost about £1.25bn and could be implemented over a three-year transition period, but can be built in such a way that avoids previous pitfall’s in proprietary-software and can recoup income through revenue from optimal digital systems in for instance Customs and Central Banking. 

In-depth report argues the Franchise system should be dismantled, with the railways run as a public service as part of an integrated transport strategy

SCOTLAND needs a fully publicly owned and operated rail system to meet the needs of rail users, a new report published by Common Weal and the Transport Union TSSA  has argued.

Stamp Duty cut “illiterate” and budget abandons wind and solar power

RESPONDING to the Budget 2017, Craig Dalzell, Common Weal head of research, said:

“Philip Hammond’s 2017 Autumn Budget leaves much to be desired. In many instances, it fails to properly identify the problems that the UK economy faces and even where it does, it often offers ineffective or counter-productive solutions.

Common Weal has proposed a ‘stakeholder’ governance structure made up of a diverse cross-section of the economy

THE Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) must have a series of ‘public good’ mission guarantees to prevent it ever becoming a typical for-profit bank, Common Weal has argued in its submission to the public consultation on the implementation of the new bank.

Rents risen by one-third in Glasgow and Edinburgh since 2010

The Common Weal think-tank has responded to new data showing private rent costs continuing to rise in Scotland by  calling for “serious action” from local authorities and the Scottish Government to make housing affordable and deal with "out of control" costs.

SNP 2016 election manifesto stated it would not give public procurement contracts to firms involved in tax dodging

COMMON WEAL and one of Britain’s leading tax experts have called on the Scottish Government to investigate the appropriateness of giving contracts to accountancy firms supporting tax avoidance activities in Scotland, in light of new Paradise Papers revelations on Tuesday 7 November.

Paper explores development of Central Bank function over its history and its more interventionist role since the financial crisis

AN independent Scotland could establish a Central Bank with a stakeholder model of governance involving people from trade unions, industry, civic society and more. 

The proposal is one of a number of ideas in a new paper for the White Paper Project, Common Weal’s development of a new case for Scottish independence, on a Scottish Central Bank.

In a back and forth debate on housing policy in Scotland, Common Weal head of policy Ben Wray responds to Homes for Scotland’s Chief Executive Nicola Barclay