Hugh M. Begg

The Effect of Regional Investment Incentives on Company Decisions

BEGG H. M. and McDOWALL S. (1987) The effect of regional investment incentives on company decisions, Reg. Studies 21, 459–470. This paper sets out a review of a number of recent studies which have ...

Development plans in Scotland since 1975

Abstract In recent years, there has been increased evidence to suggest that the Scottish development‐plan system has performed more effectively than that of England and Wales. At a time of impending change to the English system, this paper examines those distinctive aspects of Scottish practice which have contributed to its relative success since local‐government reorganisation in 1975. In reviewing the development of the plan system, composed of National Planning Guidelines, regional reports, structure and local plans, in terms of its achievements, problems and potentials, emphasis is placed on the context provided by the unique organisational arrangements for government in Scotland.

Regional policy 1960–1971 and the performance of the Scottish economy

Begg H. M. and Lythe C. M. (1977) Regional policy 1960–1971 and the performance of the Scottish economy, Reg. Studies 11, 373–380. The paper examines the underlying problems of the Scottish economy, the nature and intensity of UK regional policy over the period 1960–1971, and the influence of that policy on the performance of the Scottish economy. It shows that regional policy effected some improvements in the areas towards which it was most explicitly directed, such as infrastructure, investment and private sector manufacturing industry. There was, however, very little job creation even in manufacturing relative to the scale of the problem, little effect on the service sector, and only a weak stimulus to growth.

Remoteness and the location of the firm

Abstract This paper questions the assertion commonly made by manufacturers that high costs of freight transport are very often a significant disadvantage to firms located in the peripheral regions outside the South East quadrant. It suggests that surveys must be carefully designed to probe into and enable interpretation of the wider problems of remoteness before policy conclusions are drawn. A survey conducted in the Tayside economic region is used as a case study.

Planning in Tayside

Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the various land‐use plans prepared for the Tayside Region over the past 40 years. Variations can be explained by changes in attitudes to the underlying economic situation; the institutional context within which plan making was undertaken; and the current intentions about plan‐making.

A Scottish approach to training for the unemployed: work‐start Ltd., Dundee

Abstract This article discusses the structure and performance of Work‐Start Ltd., a company located in Dundee and providing training for the unemployed. The company has attracted national and international attention by its innovative approach. Set up to meet the specific problems of peripheral housing estates, it is now responding to rapid changes in the local labour market.

Real training for unemployed people: A case study of work‐start in Dundee

This article discusses an important initiative in providing training for unemployed people, the Dundee Training for Employment and Enterprise Project, better known simply as Work-Start. It piloted a number of the training schemes subsequently adopted by the Manpower Services Commission (MSC). However, unlike the training schemes sponsored by the government, Work-Starts principal concern has been with the training needs of unemployed people and their wish for real jobs at decent wages and not with the manipulation of the official unemployment figures. Increased central government control over training and local economic development generally has constrained the participation of local government in training. Organisations in the voluntary sector, such as Work-Start, are better able to find a space within which to operate. Work-Start was also able to gain substantial financial support from the European Community. It represents the type of initiative which the Commission has been trying to actively promote. One further feature of Work-Start which is of interest is the fact that it operates primarily within the northern peripheral council housing estates in Dundee. In recent years, such peripheral housing estates have come to number among the areas where unemployment, especially long term unemployment, is most serious.