Territorial Policy Communities and the Scottish Policy Style: the Case of Compulsory Education

Devolution in Scotland has produced the potential for major changes to public policy and policymaking. New ‘policy communities’ have developed, reflecting the generally open and consultative approach of the Scottish Government and the increased willingness and ability of ‘pressure participants’ such as unions and interest groups to engage constructively in policymaking in Scotland. Such relationships may come under strain in the new economic climate in which harder policy choices have to be made and there is a greater sense of competition, winning and losing. This paper examines compulsory education policy in this context, comparing the ability of devolved organisations to create policy consensus in the early phase of devolution, to the present day in which that consensus is under pressure.