Social justice and urban regeneration policy in Scotland

Abstract

The notion of social justice is used in a variety of policy discourses. At least in rhetorical terms, this usage has been particularly strong in Scotland (Mooney, G., and Scott, G., 2005. Introduction: themes and questions. In: G. Mooney and G. Scott, eds. Exploring social policy in the 'new' Scotland. Bristol: Routledge.), for several reasons, including the strengthening of national policy following the creation of the Scottish Parliament (Keating, M., 2005. The Government of Scotland: Public policy making after devolution. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.) and the promotion of national distinctiveness in many aspects of policy. However, this article asks the question: to what extent has this promotion in rhetoric been matched by the reality of policy application? The experience of urban regeneration policy in Scotland since 1997 is examined, highlighting a broad similarity with policy in England