Devolution within devolution? A SWOT analysis of introducing combined authorities to Scotland

Abstract

Mayoral combined authorities, introduced in England after 2009, institutionalize limited policy levers over a range of areas. In Scotland, few new local government powers have emerged since devolution. However, since 2014, devolved administrations have pioneered ‘deal’ structures, introduced in England in 2013. Scottish Labour and other stakeholders have proposed exploring mayoral combined authorities for Scotland, but what are the merits? The authors conducted a SWOT analysis, identifying strengths and weaknesses of the English model to assess opportunities and threats for Scotland. The article highlights strengths, such as improved economic alignment and agenda-setting power, and weaknesses related to democratic accountability and a lack of substantive powers. In Scotland, there are opportunities to address some problems caused by 1990s reforms of local government, but threats lie in factors such as a lack of enthusiasm from the Scottish local government sector and the country's economic geography. The authors, therefore, caution against straightforward importation. The paper provides a novel demonstration of the utility of SWOT analyses in analysing political and administrative reform ideas, and further reinforces insights from public policy and administrative scholarship which emphasise the difficulties of ‘copy and paste’ approaches to reform.