It is 20 years since the 1998 Scotland Act was passed, enabling Scotland to become devolved from the rest of the UK. The 1998 Act was one of the most significant constitutional pieces of UK legislation ever to be passed as it allowed for the establishment of a separate Scottish Parliament and for the government in Scotland to have tax varying powers, although the main fiscal powers of government remained firmly embedded in London. The new Scottish Government had devolved powers to make its own policy decisions about and legislate in a variety of areas of public life, including education, justice, health, social work, local government, housing, the environment and economic development. A key argument among those who pushed forward this legislation was that Scotland should have greater autonomy to deal with its own matters and that, in doing so, it would improve and enhance the lives of those living in Scotland.

As a city, Glasgow has historically been considered the most problematic in Scotland. Discussions about the ‘Glasgow Effect’ include reference to increased levels of deprivation, unemployment, poverty, early mortality and violent crime. Therefore, arguably, Glasgow had more to gain from Scottish devolution than any other part of the country.
So in the 20 years since the 1998 Act, how much has Glasgow changed? And has inequality reduced or increased over this period?

This event by the Understanding Inequalities research team will look at the changing nature of inequality in Glasgow over the last 20 years. This will include a focus on poverty, education, crime, health, housing and the environment. In particular, it will examine:
• How do Glasgow neighbourhoods differ from each other?
• How do different forms of inequality overlap in Glasgow?
• Is Glasgow really different to other places?

The event will include a mixture of presentations of academic research, local expert speakers and open discussion. There will also be an exhibition of visual representations of inequality, ranging from animated maps, charts and graphs to comic strips.

Who is this event for?

Anyone with an interest in tackling inequalities: third sector and community organisations, policy makers, practitioners, researchers, analysts and others working in this field. We welcome those who live and socialise in Glasgow, those who work in areas of public service delivery, those who lobby and campaign for improvements in Glasgow, and those who have a policy oversight of different aspects of inequality in Glasgow or more widely within Scotland.
We want to hear from you about whether our findings resonate, to give voice to the evidence, discuss the problems and identify potential solutions.

Together with external partners with expertise across health and community engagement, we aim to hold an informative and interactive day of debate and discussion. This event takes place as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science.

This event is free to attend but registration is essential.

Please note: the Understanding Inequalities website is currently under construction. For further information or any questions, please contact Understanding.Inequalities@ed.ac.uk

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