Message from Dr Micaela Mazzei
I am a Senior Lecturer at the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health, and a program leader for an MSc in Social Innovation at Glasgow Caledonian University. I have studied political science and sociology at the University of Florence. I hold a Master Degree in Applied Social Research from the University of Manchester and a PhD in human geography from Durham University. My interest in social innovation and the social economy is threefold: understanding the contextual determinants of social enterprise development and performance; understanding the dynamics of local (and regional) economies; and the involvement of voluntary and community organisations in the delivery of public services.
Please contact Micaela for more information about RSA activities in Scotland.
Past Events
Developing and implementing inclusive economies through Community Wealth Building Event
20 June 2023, Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland
In conjunction with Glasgow Caledonian University, the RSA Scotland Section hosted an in-person event entitled ‘Developing and implementing inclusive economies through Community Wealth Building’. The event was held at Glasgow Caledonian University, Centre for Executive Education. Questions of how to create a more inclusive economy cut across the interests and concerns of academics and policymakers. From a policy perspective, strategies to foster a more inclusive economy have emerged transnationally, drawing on theoretical approaches rooted in heterodox economic thinking and advocating for place-sensitive approaches. The plea is for an economy that is more balanced and democratic, so that economic growth also reflects social, cultural, political and environmental advancements, and that stimulates cooperation among different stakeholders, including markets, governments and civic institutions, in order to cultivate a plural economic system. While the widespread acknowledgement of the need to reframe (local) development is commendable, the resurgence of multiple theoretical frameworks and initiatives ‘beyond GDP’ risks diluting the underpinning principles, particularly in their practical implementation.
The seminar drew on the current policy impetus behind the implementation of a Community Wealth Building (CWB) in Scotland as a means to deliver a wellbeing economy, and the expertise in researching alternative frameworks of economic development of the panel members. The aim of the seminar was to begin a conversation around principles and guidance to reframe local development theory and practice by building critical discussions and relations that could overcome disciplinary silos.
Speakers included:
Prof. Andy Pike, University of Newcastle: Reframing local development for ‘left behind places’
Prof. Gerry McCartney, University of Glasgow: Wellbeing economy
Dr David Waite, University of Glasgow: Inclusive growth and alternative economic development agendas
Dr Micaela Mazzei and Dr Gillian Murray, Glasgow Caledonian University: Implementing CWB
Regional Policy in Scotland after Brexit
7 February 2020, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
The ‘Regional Policy in Scotland after Brexit’ Conference was organised by the Scottish Government in partnership with the Regional Studies Association (Scottish Branch), the European Policies Research Centre (University of Strathclyde) and the ESRC Centre on Constitutional Change (University of Edinburgh). The Conference took a fresh, evidence-based look at regional and local development in Scotland and the regional policy responses that were required.
The Conference was opened by Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde.
Professor John Bachtler, European Policies Research Centre, opened the academic programme by providing an overview of regional inequality in Europe and the contribution of Structural Funds in Scotland between 1975 and 2020. His presentation ‘From cohesion to shared prosperity’ highlighted the lack of institutional stability in Scotland, and the implications of losing European Structural Funds. John discussed the recent trends in regional policy in the UK, namely the impact of the crisis on government interventions and the recent revival of thinking about subnational scales of economic development.
This was followed by four sessions:
- territorial challenges in Scotland and the United Kingdom;
- UK Government policymaking and shared prosperity in Scotland;
- the political economy of regional policy in Scotland; and
- the priorities and instruments of future policy – possibilities and limits.
Please click here for the full program.
Please note: The Scotland Section is a limited agent for the Regional Studies Association but without any authority to incur financial liability for that Association.