Read
summary of project findings
|
Surveying public opinion (study 1) gives us broad and important benchmarks of change over time. It does not give us access to the detailed processes of identity claim, acceptance (or rejection), and change, or to the processes of boundary construction and maintenance. These in turn have consequences for social action in terms of social inclusion and exclusion, with policy implications as well as intellectual ones. Two projects in this part of the programme, in different ways address these processes: this study and Migrants and 'Nationals' (study 2a).
This study - the second sub-project in this section - addresses the consequences that flow from the ways in which boundaries are conceived and received: that of labour mobility. In this way we investigate how identity factors underlie key domains in socio-economic life, and how devolution impacts on the economy through the mediation of identity processes. We investigate the significance of the Scottish-English border by studying the views and decisions of young people, in particular relating to labour market mobility. Is there a psychological component which limits the free flow of labour, and what impact if any does devolution have on this process? We see this as an appropriate locale in which to look at the consequences of boundary construction for social action in a very direct way, as well as exploring the practical consequences of identity dynamics in a key domain of socio-economic life. National identities are typically bound up with a sense of territory and place. Hence, when people cross a border and enter another country, they have a sense of leaving 'home'. How, then, will constitutional change impact upon those living north and south of the border as they make decisions about where to study, take jobs etc.? Such perceptions and decisions have important economic implications for labour mobility in these islands, as well as for inward investment, capital flows and differential tax regimes. The tax-varying powers of the Scottish Parliament make it a particularly apt research locale for this aspect of the study.
We are drawing a stratified sample of 180 senior school leavers drawn from different geographical areas in Scotland and England; on the Scottish side, one near the border, one in the central belt, and one in the Highlands. In England, a comparable one near the border, one in the north, and one in the south of the country. Semi-structured interviews address the sense of nationality and the construction of cognitive boundaries; their mobility intentions and reactions to the possibility of moving to locations either near or far, and either across the border or within borders. At a second level, we have designed a quantitative survey instrument aimed at 500 sixth form school leavers stratified by region, and urban/rural setting. Thirdly, we shall conduct experimental studies so as to manipulate the salience of different types of boundary (Highland/Lowland; regional; national) and examine the consequences in terms of mobility preferences. The hypothesis is be that mobility across salient boundaries is less preferred than mobility within boundaries. On the basis of these systematically controlled studies, we will be able to establish the casual connections between the meaning and strength of national identity and the willingness to make different types of mobility decisions.
|
Introduction
| Objectives
and Significance |
Study 1 | Study 2a | Study 3 | Study 4 | Study 5 | Study 6
Home | Contact | Edinburgh University Homepage
Nations and Regions research programme
The Institute of Governance
The University of Edinburgh,
Chisholm House, High School Yards,
EDINBURGH EH1 1LZ, Scotland
Tel: (+44) (0) 131 650 8093
email: Nations and Regions research programme
email: The Institute of Governance
Last modified: 7 March 2005
Pages updated by rosstait
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all material is copyright
ŠThe University of Edinburgh 
