The Impact of Ferry Services on an Island Economy

This paper examines ferry fares and quality of service to a remote island region and analyses how this affects the economy of the islands. Taking the Western Isles in Scotland as a case study, the paper identifies the links between fares, service, and economic development and attempts to quantify this impact. A new methodology is developed to estimate the impact of service frequency. The Western Isles, especially the more remote southern islands, face particular challenges due to their peripheral location relative to markets and supplies in Scotland, the rest of the UK and the European ‘core’. This manifests itself in terms of access to skilled labour, raw materials, connections to other businesses and customers. These economies are likely to experience higher transportation costs to domestic and international markets and may also be limited by the frequency and reliability of connections. The ferry services between islands and with mainland Scotland are vital to the continued economic and social well-being of the Western Isles. The extent of the contribution of ferry services towards the economic and social prosperity of the Isles is very much dependant upon the frequency, speed and reliability of service and on the fare structure. It is therefore vital to ensure that the correct fare mechanism is in place to ensure maximum benefit to the local economy of the Isles, in addition to satisfying value for money criteria for the taxpayer and commercial viability for the operators. Our findings show that a reduction in ferry fares and, in particular in increase in service frequency, will have substantial income and employment benefits to the local economy, running into millions of pounds annually. It is also revealed that there is potential to increase the quality of service to the Isles, and reduce fares in some cases, with no increase in public subsidy towards operating costs. This is achieved by taking a more radical perspective to the routes and services operated, and by more closely matching service provision to the demands of communities within the islands.

Determinants of visitor expenditure at a major sports event

This paper develops a model of the determinants of visitor expenditure at a one day repeated major sporting event in Edinburgh, Scotland. An econometric model is developed that combines both macroeconomic data and socio-economic information derived from over 1,000 visitor interviews. This allows us to control for individual characteristics and estimate the derived elasticities for the macroeconomic determinants of expenditure. The findings suggest that socio-economic characteristics of individuals may be more significant than macroeconomic indicators in explaining variations in visitor expenditure. Among individual characteristics, the region of origin, length of stay, type of accommodation, type of expenditure and personal income are associated with the level of per capita visitor expenditure. This should assist regional policy formulation in attracting higher spending visitors and thereby maximising the income and employment benefits from sporting events and other areas of tourism.

The Economic Impact of a Sporting Event: A Regional Approach

This paper aims to estimate the economic impact of a large one-day international sporting event on both a regional and a city economy. In addition, it seeks to investigate the regional origins of visitors to the event, and investigates the relationship between residence and expenditure. The importance of sporting events to regional economies is recognised, but can be difficult to quantify due to the scale and nature of the data required. This analysis draws on over 5,000 spectator interviews conducted at the five one-day rugby internationals (Scotland versus England, France, Romania, South Africa and Fiji) held in Edinburgh, Scotland, during 2002. As such it represents one of the largest databases of its kind in Europe. Spectators were asked about their expenditure, residence, accommodation and attitudes to future visits. Findings were triangulated using a parallel survey of business turnover. The survey data is used to estimate the economic impact on both the wide region (Scotland) and the city region (Edinburgh). Our findings indicate that each match may be worth around £20m to the Scottish economy and £12m to the city of Edinburgh economy. We argue that although this appears large, the methodology used may have resulted in an estimate that is slightly conservative if anything. This points to a greater need for local, regional and national government to exploit the potential that such events can have. We also found that the origin profile of spectators differs between matches, naturally reflecting the origins of the visiting crowd, but more importantly there are also notable regional differences in expenditure patterns among visitors from each nation. We examine the possible reasons for this and the implications for regional and city tourism marketing strategies.

An Assessment of the Economic Impact of the Skye Bridge Tolls

Outlines the background leading to the commissioning of this report from Napier University, reviews the findings which point to the present Bridge tolls regime as suppressing the economy of Skye, and presents the case for early reduction in the level of charges incurred by user

Delivering job search services in rural labour markets: the role of ICT

This paper reports original research on job seekers in two contrasting rural areas in Scotland: one a remote rural area; the other semi-rural with strong metropolitan connectivity. It seeks to answer two key questions. Firstly, what are the potential benefits and barriers associated with the delivery of services for rural job seekers through the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-based systems? And following from this, what is the nature and extent of the 'digital divide' affecting unemployed job seekers and what policies are required to address this problem? Rural labour markets in the United Kingdom, like those across Europe, have recently experienced a period of continuous and rapid change. The decline of primary sector industries has been accompanied by increases in service employment, especially in tourism. However, in the UK, as elsewhere, this economic transition has not been without its difficulties. Whilst social exclusion is less prevalent in rural areas than in many cities, instances f poverty remain. Unemployment, and particularly long-term unemployment, has been cited as an important factor explaining the continuing problem of social exclusion in many rural areas. Recent research has suggested that an important barrier to work faced by unemployed people in rural areas relates to the absence of locally-based job search and advice services. The Employment Service (the main public agency in the UK dealing with job seekers) has argued thagiven the remote and sparsely populated nature of many rural labour markets, ICT-based job search and advice services (e.g. delivered through telephone helplines and the Internet) may offer the most efficient and cost-effective policy solution in many areas. However, the viability of this policy is dependent on the level of ICT awareness and access among job seekers. Interviews were conducted with over 400 job seekers in the two areas. The Caithness and Sutherland area in northern Scotland is among the most remote and least densely populated in Europe, with unemployment rates well above the national average. West Lothian, in contrast, is situated near to Scotland's economic centre and is a major centre of manufacturing activity with unemployment below the national average. The interviws examined the level of ICT skills possessed, attitudes towards and access to ICT, and additionally collected information on a range of personal skills and attitudes. Evidence of relatively low levels of ICT awareness and access was found in both communities Although those residing in the more remote study area were also more likely to have Internet access, a significant minority did not even have access to a telephone at home. The paper concludes that, if ICT is to prove to be the waforward in delivering services for job seekers in rural areas, community-based access and support facilities must be provided, along with appropriate training for job seekers in basic and higher level ICT skills.

Approaches to evaluation in community regeneration

This document reports the findings of research on approaches to evaluation in community regeneration. It was conducted by the Employment Research Institute (ERI) at Napier University on behalf of Communities Scotland. The Scottish Executive and Communities Scotland are committed to ‘Closing the Opportunity Gap' (CtOG), the Executive's main strategy for tackling poverty and disadvantage in Scotland, by seeking to: prevent individuals or families from falling into poverty; provide routes out of poverty for individuals and families; and sustain individuals and families in a lifestyle free from poverty. Over the period 2005-08, the Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) provides a key mechanism for Scotland's 32 Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) to develop services promoting the regeneration of the most deprived neighbourhoods, in line with the Closing the Opportunity Gap (CtOG) objective of "regenerating the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, so that people living there can take advantage of job opportunities and improve their quality of life"

Relationships between transport and the rural economies

This review was commissioned by the Countryside Agency to explore the impact of the transport sector, including transport provision, on rural economies in England. The research, by Derek Halden Consultancy in association with the Employment Research Institute, Napier University, sought to: collate what is known from existing recent literature about the main links between transport and rural economies and the transport needs of rural businesses, and; validate the relationships through survey work to explain the ways in which transport can most effectively benefit rural economies. It found that relationships between transport and rural economies are defined by accessibility and by the capacity and skills of people and businesses. Key factors influencing these relationships are: - Infrastructure, people and knowledge networks - Quality and reliability of service provision - Skills and training Culture and expectations - Legislation, administration and taxation. Whilst efficiency in urban areas can more often benefit from economies of scale, in rural areas there are relatively greater benefits from widening the scope of service delivery. However this requires better joint working between firms, organisations and public agencies than has been common practice in the past

Factors affecting Modern Apprenticeship completion rates in Scotland

Background Completing an apprenticeship has been shown to be a critical to an individual’s future employment, earnings and career. International research, notably in England, Australia and Germany, has identified features of the apprentice, employer and training associated with completion. However there has been no comparable research in Scotland, which operates a distinct apprenticeship system. Access to longitudinal data on apprentices in Scotland provides a unique opportunity to examine this. Objectives The aim of this study was to look at potential factors associated with successful apprenticeship completion. Specifically, to identify apprentices most likely to complete, those who may require additional support, and to pinpoint good practice in training provision that could help improve completion rates. The paper considers why some apprentices are more likely to complete and discusses policy implications for Scotland and beyond. Methods Logistic regression was conducted on administrative records of apprenticeship leavers in Scotland, covering 2007 to 2015. Altogether 78,952 leavers were analysed, consisting of 59,737 completers and 19,215 non-completers. This isolated the impact of each factor on the probability of completion holding other factors constant. This is the first time that extensive administrative data has been used to model apprenticeship completions in Scotland. Findings A positive relationship with completion was found for female apprentices and those from less deprived areas, although women were less likely to complete in certain subjects. Apprentices employed by a large employer, training with public sector organisations and in selected technical frameworks were also more likely to complete. Conclusions This research suggests a number of factors that have a significant impact on the chances of completion. It identifies a need to support apprentices identified as most at risk of not completing, and to create an environment more conducive to completion in frameworks and industries where apprentices are more likely to drop out

The Importance of Transport in Business’ Location Decisions -Scoping Study (Final Report)

The aim of this project was to review current literature of issues considered by businesses in choosing where they locate / relocate and in particular, the significance and importance to which transport is a factor within that decision-making process. The review pulled together the evidence already available about the factors which influence these decisions, the extent to which transport is a consideration within these decisions and the impacts of these decisions on the travel patterns of customers and staff, as well as operational considerations. From this review, the current evidence base was mapped out, identifying and prioritising the needs for future research in this area. This scoping study was needed to consolidate the level of understanding of the impact of transport in businesses' locational decision-making processes and to assist the Department in developing meaningful, evidence-based areas for future research, minimising the burden of research surveys on business respondents