Devolution Monitoring Programme

1999-2005

About the Project

This project monitors the implementation of devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In November 2000, the Constitution Unit received further funding from the ESRC Devolution and Constitutional Change programme to extend the Monitoring reports to England (led by John Tomaney at Newcastle University) and the Centre (Roger Masterman at the Constitution Unit, succeeded in Jan 2003 by Guy Lodge). Additional funding provided by the ESRC grant (ref.: L219 25 2016) also allowed the Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh teams to extend the scope and depth of their reports, and to extend the whole monitoring programme to April 2005.

The monitoring methodically tracks the changes that devolution brings across a range of policy areas. The outputs highlight the main comparisons and similarities between devolution in the three areas, and focus on:

new political structures and the policy process
policy priorities and programmes
the funding of devolution and new patterns in public spending flows
changes in the political parties, and the emergence of a 'new' politics
the performance of the new devolved institutions
public attitudes to devolution
relations between tiers of government: local, devolved, Westminster and the EU

The monitoring teams each draw on a small network of experts. Reports are filed each quarter, and made available as pdf files on the Leverhulme Nations and Regions website. The reports are condensed and brought together in an annual review, The State of the Nations, published at the end of each year. The launch of the review is accompanied by a high profile public lecture on devolution.

Northern Ireland	Wales	Scotland	English Regions	The Centre
July 2005
April 2005	April 2005	April 2005	April 2005	April 2005
November 2004	November 2004	November 2004	November 2004	November 2004
August 2004	August 2004	August 2004	August 2004	August 2004
May 2004	May 2004	May 2004	May 2004	May 2004
February 2004	February 2004	February 2004	February 2004	February 2004
November 2003	November 2003	November 2003	November 2003	November 2003
August 2003	August 2003	August 2003	August 2003	August 2003
May 2003	May 2003	May 2003	May 2003	May 2003
February 2003	February 2003	February 2003	February 2003	February 2003
November 2002	November 2002	November 2002	November 2002	November 2002
August 2002	August 2002	August 2002	August 2002	August 2002
May 2002	May 2002	May 2002	May 2002	May 2002
February 2002	February 2002	February 2002	February 2002	February 2002
November 2001	November 2001	November 2001	November 2001	November 2001
August 2001	August 2001	August 2001	August 2001	August 2001
May 2001	May 2001	May 2001	May 2001	May 2001
February 2001	February 2001	February 2001	February 2001	February 2001
November 2000	November 2000	November 2000	November 2000	November 2000
August 2000	August 2000	August 2000
May 2000	May 2000	May 2000
February 2000	February 2000	February 2000
November 1999	December 1999	November 1999

Monitoring reports: Northern Ireland 2003

The current team is led by Rick Wilford, School of Politics, Queen's University Belfast (assembly); Robin Wilson, Director, Democratic Dialogue (devolved government, public policies, finance). Other members are:

John Coakley, Director, Institute for British-Irish Studies, University College Dublin (intergovernmental relations)
Lizanne Dowds, Research Fellow, School of Policy Studies, University of Ulster and Deputy Director, NI Social and Political Archive (ARK)
Greg McLaughlin, Lecturer in Media Studies, University of Ulster (media)
Elizabeth Meehan, Director, Institute of Governance, Public Policy and Social Research, Queen's University Belfast (intergovernmental relations, European Union)
Duncan Morrow, Director, Northern Ireland Community Relations Council (political parties and elections)

Monitoring reports: Scotland 2002-03

Research team

The current team is led by: JamesMitchell, Professor of Politics, University of Strathclyde (j.mitchell@strath.ac.uk). Team members are:

BarryWinetrobe, Lecturer in Public Law, University of Glasgow
MarkShephard, Lecturer in Politics, University of Strathclyde
Philip Schlesinger, Director, Stirling Media Research Institute, University of Stirling
John Curtice Professor of Politics, University of Strathclyde
Alex Wright is Lecturer in Politics, University of Dundee
Neil McGarvey Lecturer in Politics, University of Strathclyde
David Bell, Professor of Economics, University of Stirling

Monitoring reports: Wales 2002-03

The current team is led by: JohnOsmond, Director, Institute of Welsh Affairs. Team members are:

Dr Denis Balsom, Editor, Wales Yearbook
Sarah Beasley, Cardiff Law School
Jessica Mugaseth, Research Officer, Institute of Welsh Affairs
Suzanne Grazier, Research officer, Institute of Welsh Affairs
Gerald Taylor, University of Glamorgan

Monitoring reports: The Centre 2003

Guy Lodge, the Constitution Unit
Robert Hazell, Director, the Constitution Unit
Meg Russell, the Constitution Unit
James Mitchell, Strathclyde University