ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book identifies a number of key challenges for the Scottish economy that will be used to frame policy. Scotland in 2016 is very different to the country so painstakingly analysed in the 1950s by Alec Cairncross. The book examines Scotland's economic position in 2016 relative to that in the 1950s, making the simple but important point that the journey that the Scottish economy has gone over the several decades has been shaped by UK and international drivers as well as by things going on within Scotland. It provides a snapshot of the Scottish economy. The book discusses several aspects of productivity drivers including innovation, education and infrastructure investment to help understand the role of productivity in wider Scottish economic performance.
