Social justice and urban regeneration policy in Scotland

Abstract

The notion of social justice is used in a variety of policy discourses, including urban regeneration policy. At least in rhetorical terms, this usage has been particularly strong in Scotland (Mooney, G., and Scott, G., 2005. Introduction: themes and questions. In: G. Mooney and G. Scott, eds. Exploring social policy in the ‘new’ Scotland. Bristol: Routledge.), for several reasons, including the strengthening of national policy following the creation of the Scottish Parliament (Keating, M., 2005. The Government of Scotland: Public policy making after devolution. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.) and the promotion of national distinctiveness in many aspects of policy. However, this article asks the question: to what extent has this promotion in rhetoric been matched by the reality of policy application? To answer this question, the experience of urban regeneration policy in Scotland since 1997 is examined, highlighting a broad similarity with policy in England (in spite of espoused distinctiveness), and a general shift in approach away from social justice. Conclusions are then suggested for the operation of urban regeneration policy with possible wider application within other countries in Europe.