ABSTRACT
A study of the Scottish dimension of this process is especially appropriate, for a number of reasons. As is widely recognized, the Scottish Office has played a pioneering role in the evolution of regional economic development policies and economic planning programmes, especially since the early 1960s, and therefore provides special insights into one major aspect of the growing demand for government economists and statisticians. In addition, although the Scottish situation possesses certain characteristics which differentiate it from Westminster and Whitehall, it can in some respects be regarded as a microcosm of the larger British political and bureaucratic system. And, given its limited scale and partial isolation, it presents a manageable field for investigation.
