Scottish Case Study Research Articles

Sculptors and architects - two Scottish case studies

Around the middle of the nineteenth century, applied decoration on buildings was designed by architects and carried out by craftsmen carvers. Gradually, over the remainder of the century, more and more established sculptors were engaged. Co-operation between architects and sculptors at all stages should ensure the best results. However, evidence of tensions between the two professions can be found. The experiences of two Scottish sculptors, James Pittendrigh Macgillivray (1856-1938) and Louis Reid Deuchars (1870-1927), are examined. Both spent periods as assistants to established sculptors, but thereafter their careers diverged. For three brief weeks they worked together, although their temperaments ensured the arrangement did not survive. Deuchars mainly received commissions from architects, by whom he was paid, often in instalments whereas Macgillivray was essentially self-employed, negotiating his fee directly with the client. He had little time for the architectural profession.

GOVERNMENTALITY AND STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: CHALLENGING THE SEA/GOOD GOVERNANCE NEXUS

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been associated with "good governance" by bodies at national and international levels including the World Bank, OECD, and UK and Scottish Governments. Typically involving components such as transparency, accountability, public participation and partnership working, this SEA/good governance nexus has been promoted in Scotland where the government sees SEA as central to its sustainable development aspirations. Using a governmentality lens to view SEA as a technique seeking to instil environmentally-focused governance, the paper examines the operation of the SEA/good governance nexus in the SEA process of one Scottish case study, a road corridor development framework undertaken between 2006 and 2008. The paper exposes instances of resistance to both the democratising elements of good governance and to SEA itself as the public and statutory Consultation Authorities find their efforts to constructively engage with the SEA process thwarted. This reveals that, in the case studied, the SEA/good governance nexus, as a high-level policy objective, is more aspiration than reality.

The role of Public Participatory Geographical Information Systems (PPGIS) in coastal decision-making processes: An example from Scotland, UK

This paper explores a technical solution (GIS-application) as a possible alternative for public participation in coastal decision-making. Through examination of a Scottish local case study, the paper examines the evidence that Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and more specifically Public Participatory GIS (PPGIS), can lead to or influence greater legitimacy in decision making in public participation in coastal management and waterfront development. Whilst demonstrating that GIS and PPGIS have considerable potential to provide the public with access to accurate data and factual information, to be able to integrate multiple and disparate data sources to allow merging of data, and to use various visualisation techniques, the complexities associated with PPGIS suggest that further research is required to establish if and how participatory GIS can increase legitimacy in a decision-making process.

Additional support needs reforms and social justice in Scotland

New additional support‐needs legislation in Scotland sought to recognise the way in which poverty, as well as individual impairment, contribute to the creation of children's difficulties in learning. As well as identifying a wider range of needs, the legislation sought to provide parents, irrespective of social background, with more powerful means of challenging local authority decisions on resource allocation, with the aim of delivering a fairer system. This paper uses Scottish Government statistics and family case studies drawn from an ESRC‐funded project (RES‐062‐23‐0803) to examine the links between social deprivation, the identification of additional support needs and parents' ability to use the new dispute resolution mechanisms. There is a strong association between the identification of additional support needs and social deprivation and this is particularly marked in relation to non‐normative difficulties, such as social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, compared with normative difficulties such as blindness and deafness. Statutory educational plans, which provide greater rights to additional resources and formal dispute resolution mechanisms, are disproportionately distributed to parents in more advantaged neighbourhoods. Parents from middle‐class backgrounds appear to be able to use their social and cultural capital more effectively to challenge local authority decisions. The paper concludes that some funding for additional support needs should be allocated on the basis of social deprivation, but there continues to be a need for the assessment and resourcing of individual needs, since poverty has material consequences for individual children, whose difficulties may be overlooked if an entirely systemic approach is adopted. There is a need for greater investment in advocacy service to enable parents from poorer backgrounds to exercise their rights.

Artefacts and sites: a long and problematic relationship

A range of issues relevant to understanding and evaluating the relationships between artefacts and the sites and monuments with which they are associated is raised and illustrated with Scottish case studies.

Collaboration in Electronic Resource Provision in University Libraries: SHEDL, a Scottish Case Study

This case study examines the growth of collaboration among Scottish higher education institutions. Following a summary of the work of the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), more detailed information is provided on collaboration in the fields of acquisition, licensing, selection, and purchasing. Some of the UK background is outlined, relating to NESLi2 in particular, in order to illuminate the options within Scotland. The origins of negotiations on electronic resource provision within Scotland are described, drawing on developments in other countries including Ireland and Scandinavia. After initial setbacks, the implementation of the Scottish Higher Education Digital Library (SHEDL) from 2007 to 2009 is detailed. Current benefits arising from SHEDL are explained, and some possible future developments are discussed.

Independent sector treatment centres: learning from a Scottish case study

The English Independent Sector Treatment Centre (ISTC) programme uses the private health care industry to provide elective surgery and other clinical services at a projected total cost of £5 billion....

Independent sector treatment centres: the first independent evaluation, a Scottish case study

The pound5 billion English Independent Sector Treatment Centre (ISTC) programme remains unevaluated because of a lack of published contract data and poor quality data returns. Scotland has a three-year pilot ISTC, the Scottish Regional Treatment Centre (SRTC), the contract for which is now in the public domain. This study aims to conduct an independent evaluation of the performance of the SRTC during the first year of operation. A retrospective analysis of the SRTC comparing activity as reported by hospital episode statistics returned to ISD Scotland with: volume and cost data in the SRTC contract; a 10-month audit carried out by management consultants Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC); and an internal NHS Tayside performance report. All day-case and inpatient activity at the SRTC from 1 December 2006 to 31 January 2008. Activity and cost. The annual contract was based on patient referrals to the SRTC and not actual treatments. The contract was awarded on the basis of 2624 referrals a year, total value of pound5,667,464. According to ISD data, the SRTC performed 831 procedures (32% of annual contract) in the first 13 months worth pound1,035,603 (18%). PWC's figures report 2200 referrals (84%) to the SRTC at a cost of 2,642,000 (47%) in the first 10 months. Basing the SRTC contract on payments for referrals rather than actual treatment represents a major departure from normal standards of reporting and commissioning and may have resulted in over-payment for referrals for patients who did not receive treatment of up to pound3 million in the first 10 months. The PWC report falls well below the standards one would expect of an independent evaluation and we were unable to validate PWC's analysis and the claim of value for money. If wave-one ISTCs in England perform similarly to the SRTC then as much as pound927 million may have been paid for patients who did not receive treatment. We recommend a moratorium on all ISTC contracts until the contracts have been published and properly evaluated with respect to work paid for and actual work carried out and quality of care.

Practitioner perspectives on tackling health inequalities: Findings from an evaluation of healthy living centres in Scotland

Little is known about how health practitioners tasked with tackling health inequalities account for their own programmes and actions. This paper attempts to address this gap by drawing on data collected in the course of an evaluation of the Healthy Living Centre (HLC) programme, which was designed to address the wider determinants of health, in particular social exclusion and socioeconomic disadvantage, through targeting services at the most deprived local communities. Six Scottish HLC case studies explored in depth how HLC practitioners conceptualised ‘health inequalities’ and applied the construct to legitimate their public health and health improvement work. Practitioners drew on multiple explanations of health inequalities, sought to apply holistic approaches to service provision, and developed activities that took account of classed practices intended to overcome class-related disempowerment and stigma. They discussed the challenges of positioning services to appeal to and reach target groups and the difficulties in assessing the impact of their work on reducing health inequalities. Responses to tackling inequalities were variable across time and between HLCs, resulting from uneven learning about target groups and their changing needs, an evolving policy agenda and consideration given to the longer-term sustainability of HLC sites. Although practitioners' work to address health inequalities was limited by the programme's focus on working with disadvantaged groups, findings illustrate how classed practices are linked to the challenges of attracting and successfully engaging with such groups. Practitioner accounts highlighted the importance of gaining acceptance to overcome barriers to engagement with disadvantaged communities, the time required to achieve a satisfactory level of engagement, the proximity of service providers to clients and the adaptability of services necessary to address evolving needs.

A role for universities in the induction of teachers? A Scottish case study

Scottish universities, with schools of education or equivalent, have gained a significant role in all other areas of the emerging national Framework for Continuing Professional Development, with the exception of the new one‐year Teacher Induction Scheme. However, in the light of renewed political calls for local authorities and universities to act in partnership at all stages of teacher professional development, this paper re‐examines the implications of research carried out on the Induction Scheme, which reveals the limited role played by universities in the induction of newly qualified teachers. The barriers and opportunities faced by universities in seeking a role in the induction and early professional development of teachers are discussed.

Evaluating stakeholder involvement in river basin planning: a Scottish case study

River basin management demonstrates the increasing importance of active stakeholder involvement within environmental governance, whereby planning and implementation relies on outcomes from collective reasoned discussion. However, claims that stakeholder involvement improves environmental governance are rarely subject to critical examination. This lack of evaluation is problematic for several reasons including: lack of reflection on the purpose of involvement processes or their limitations; a poor conceptualisation of who should be defined as a stakeholder; how different knowledge claims should be treated; and how power relationships affect the process dynamics. This paper engages with the theoretical claims for active involvement and uses a Scottish case study to illustrate to what extent these claims were met during a river basin planning process. The evaluation highlights lessons for policy makers designing river basin management plans, particularly in the context of the pressing timetable for the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive. These lessons include how to maximise these benefits whilst proactively managing conflicts that occur, particularly when trying to sustain a coalition of individuals representing broader organisations and constituencies in a time-consuming and challenging process.

Defining and Interpreting Professional Knowledge in an Age of Performativity: a Scottish Case-Study

This paper will argue that by considering in detail the Scottish Standard for Initial Teacher Education [SITE] (Quality Assurance Agency [QAA], 2000), the foundation document of the teaching profession in Scotland, a model exists that synthesises the positions of those involved in education who support a “technical-rational” position and others who support a “values” discourse. The paper will consider how the authors of SITE were affected by the contextual factors of policy and epistemology. Literary methods of reading will be used to show that SITE defines professional knowledge as being dynamic, intellectual, personal, developmental, research-informed and achieved in synthesis and it will be argued that the success of this definition lies in the breadth of these categories rather than in the enumeration of unwieldy lists of competences.

Changing boundaries: the role of policy networks in the multi-level governance of science and innovation in Scotland

Regional boundaries and distinct institutions and policy agendas confer on Scotland a characteristic regional system of innovation that affords multiple opportunities for interactions between policy-makers and policy targets. Scotland should offer a set of circumstances congenial to the operation of policy networks, which might facilitate policy integration. However, the predominance of the public sector and the gate-keeping roles therein still present significant barriers to the effective operation of such networks and militate against an integrated policy approach. This Scottish case study provides lessons on policy-making in multi-level, multi-actor spaces for other regional governance systems. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Migration: Pre-requisite for rural economic regeneration?

Migration from and to depopulating areas is related to the prospects for rural economic regeneration. The focus is on whether or not migration processes give rise to the necessary human capital required for successful endogenous development. Data from Scottish case studies pertaining to in-, out- and return migrants are analysed. Only by leaving rural areas can young adults acquire the necessary skills to participate in endogenous development, however, few out-migrants subsequently return. In-migrants, while often possessing the necessary human capital to bring about an economic regeneration, are associated with relatively little new job creation. Instead in-migration is characterised by self-employment. It is argued that migration is a pre-requisite for rural economic regeneration, but that a rural endogenous development policy on its own will have limited success in regenerating areas experiencing on-going depopulation. Exogenous development strategies are also required.

The contextual development of healthy living centres services: An examination of food-related initiatives

The Healthy Living Centre (HLC) programme was designed to address the wider determinants of health, in particular social exclusion and socio-economic disadvantage, through targeting services at the most deprived local communities. This paper draws on data collected during an in-depth process evaluation of six Scottish HLC case study sites. Food-related services, which were found to cross-cut all the sites, were used to address social exclusion and to promote health. Three types of service, each linked to a social model of health, were found to be in operation: those which enhance skills; those which promote social inclusion; and those which influence food accessibility. The paper illustrates how food-related services have developed in the case study HLCs to take account of the differing needs of the communities and neighbourhoods that have been targeted. Consideration is then given to how HLCs adapt to meet the practicalities of improving health while addressing social exclusion through targeting health inequalities.

DHRAM: a method for classifying river flow regime alterations for the EC Water Framework Directive

Abstract A method has been developed for assessing the degree of human alteration of river flow regimes relative to near‐natural or reference conditions. The Dundee Hydrological Regime Alteration Method (DHRAM) utilizes the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration approach of the US Nature Conservancy to classify the risk of damage to in‐stream ecology using a five‐class scheme compatible with the requirements of the EC Water Framework Directive. Separate methods have been developed for rivers and lakes, though only the former are considered in this paper. DHRAM uses daily mean flow time‐series data, representing un‐impacted and impacted situations for the site of interest, in relation to any type of anthropogenic hydrological impact such as impoundments, abstractions or flow augmentation. Procedures for coping with different levels of data availability are outlined, utilizing the Micro Low Flows computer package to generate synthetic series of daily mean flows, supplemented by flow alteration data as appropriate. The utility of DHRAM is demonstrated through a pair of Scottish case studies illustrating its ability in classifying regime alteration and supporting mapping, which will be of value to river basin managers. Finally, present and future issues relating to the calibration of DHRAM scores to levels of ecological damage are discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The jigsaw puzzle of a multidisciplinary team

In theory, a multidisciplinary team should ‘create a seamless continuum of care across all organisation departments’. Does it succeed in practice? A Scottish case study indicates that it does

The Use of New National Qualifications in S3 and S4 in 2002–03

This paper describes the use of New National Qualifications (NNQs) in S3 and S4 in 2002–03, using data from a survey of all Scottish secondary schools and case studies of four schools. Most local authority schools, and a half of independent and special schools, had made some use of NNQs in S3 and S4, mainly to replace Standard Grade but in some cases to certificate other subjects such as religious and moral education. The use of NNQs was only weakly associated with school characteristics such as size or average S4 attainment. In a majority of schools no more than one Standard Grade subject in ten had been replaced, but a few mainstream local authority schools, and several independent and special schools, had replaced much more than this. Replacement was most common in home economics, science, mathematics and French, and at Foundation and to a lesser extent General levels. NNQs were not being used to vocationalise the S3 and S4 curriculum. School staff said they used them because they offered provision at a more appropriate level, better progression opportunities and pacing of study, and better content. However some staff expressed concerns about the implications of the mixed economy that appeared to be emerging, and the absence of national or local strategy at the time of the study inhibited progress. Decisions about replacing Standard Grade tended to be taken in a decentralised and ad hoc way. Schools’ future plans were uncertain but there was little evidence of an imminent wholesale migration to NNQs in S3 and S4. We discuss the implications for current policy debates.

The art of partnership: a Scottish case study

The Scottish Cultural Resources Network is a nationwide collaboration of institutions from many curatorial domains, which has built a massive and sustainable multimedia digital library including tens of thousands of resources for the study and appreciation of art. This paper traces the history and governance of SCRAN, with examples of how it manages the creation of digital content. It goes on to describe issues of intellectual property rights and organisational sustainability and discusses what future such a service may have. Finally, it introduces a number of SCRAN-based digital libraries, including Resources for Learning in Scotland, the AMICO Library™, and the British History Library, as well as portal services such as Netwide Search.

Towards a typology of out‐migration from peripheral areas: a Scottish case study

AbstractDuring an era of counterurbanisation, the continued out‐migration of selected groups from rural areas has largely been ignored. This paper focuses on the nature of contemporary rural out‐migration flows and the relative importance of influencing factors in the decision‐making process, using questionnaire data and personal narratives from individual out‐migrants from rural Scotland. The analysis demonstrates the complexity of the decision‐making processes at work, involving the personal negotiation of different, and on occasions conflicting, influences using a typology of migrant types. The relative importance of the decision‐making processes operating in different rural areas is also highlighted. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.