The Scottish Parliament and its Capacity for Redistributive Policy: The Case of Land Reform

Abstract

The Land Reform (Scotland) Act of 2003 demonstrated the capacity of the Scottish Parliament to promote economically redistributive policies by regulating land markets. However, the factors contributing to land reform suggest that it is more likely the consequence of unique political contexts than an indicator of sustained radicalism in the Parliament. Initially, institutional sponsorship by Westminster and Whitehall legitimised land reform as a legislative project. Subsequently, a cross-party consensus in Scotland linked land reform with democratisation, the issue resonated with Scottish Executive goals regarding sustainable development and the existence of funding streams for land purchases initially shielded the Executive from difficult budgetary questions.