Institute Director Professor Mairi Spowage speaks with Claire Mack (CEO of Scottish Renewables) and Susan McDonald (Energy Transition Lead at Deloitte) about Scotland’s renewables economy—where it is, what’s working, and what needs to change. They discuss headline growth in jobs (around 47,000) and sector output (about £15.5bn), the shift from onshore to offshore wind, and why policy certainty and investor confidence matter as much as funding. The conversation explores place-based opportunities from Inverness and Ardrishaig to Shetland’s Viking wind project, the centrality of grids and supply chains, and the importance of bringing communities—and their skills—along on the journey.

In the final episode of our Key Figures series Mairi Spowage speaks to Professor in Economics at the Adam Smith Business School, and previous director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, Graeme Roy.

Our next episode of Key Figures features the esteemed David Bell, Professor of Economics at the University of Stirling and a core original member of the Fraser of Allander Institute.

In the third installment of our Key Figures series, Mairi Spowage speaks to Kim Swales and Peter McGregor: two economists who were director of the Fraser of Allander Institute at various times, and instrumental to our longstanding work in CG modelling.

In the second episode of our Key Figures interview series, we talk to Elizabeth Ashcroft, one of the original editors of our long-running Economic Commentaries. We cover her life, the origins of the Institute, and her thoughts on the rapidly changing economic landscape in Scotland.

This is the first of a very special series of podcast interviews, talking to key figures from the Fraser of Allander Institute across its 50 year history. To kick things off, current director Mairi Spowage speaks to the first director and co-founder of the FAI, David Simpson, , from his home in East Lothian.

In this episode, FAI Deputy Director João Sousa joins economist Hannah Randolph to talk through some of the economic pressures facing the chancellor as she prepares her autumn budget statement, as well as what a delayed timeline and the potential announcements could mean for the Scottish budget.

This week, Hannah Randolph is joined by Josh Hampson to discuss the permanent removal of Peak Fares on the Scotrail network. With significant price cuts to tickets taking place today, the episode dives into what this policy might mean for public transport use and how it could align with other policies, such as a congestion charge discussed in previous episodes. Discussing last year’s pilot of this policy, Hannah and Josh discuss what might be expected this time around and unpack the benefits, as well as drawbacks, to cheaper train tickets.

Employment statistics are designed to tell us what's going on in the labour market, but problems with the Labour Force Survey since the pandemic have muddied the waters. FAI economists Hannah Randolph and Allison Catalano discuss the quality issues with the LFS in recent years and alternative indicators constructed from administrative data. They also talk about what the ONS has done to improve the quality of employment statistics, as well as the challenges posed for local decision-making.

This week, Chirsty McFadyen is joined by Director Mairi Spowage and Deputy Director Joao Sousa to discuss the latest GERS (Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland) figures published today, along with some reflections on the Scottish Government response.

Scotland’s innovation success is increasingly driven by cross-sector, cross-disciplinary collaboration. No single institution or sector can address today’s complex challenges alone — whether it's reaching net zero, transforming healthcare, or building ethical AI systems. While the data on innovation may show challenges, Scottish businesses are collaborating and innovating and can benefit further from collaboration as they seek to innovate faster and pool scarce resources. Collaboration leverages complementary strengths and promotes inclusive innovation that involves a multitude of stakeholders. For innovation to flourish, it’s imperative to have the right skills as technologies evolve and transform sectors. Innovation also requires upskilling existing workers across industries to maximize productivity benefits that come from technological transformation.

At the end of July we published our latest Scottish Business Monitor report, where we surveyed over 300 businesses across Scotland. Chirsty McFadyen is joined by Sanjam Suri to discuss.

This week, Hannah Randolph is joined by Josh Hampson to explore the growing conversation around congestion charging in Glasgow. With city councillors recently expressing interest in the idea, the episode dives into what such a scheme could look like and how it might align with Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ). Drawing on examples from London, New York, and Edinburgh’s unsuccessful proposal, Hannah and Josh discuss what lessons Glasgow might learn from other cities, and unpack the potential benefits, challenges, and public reactions to congestion charging.

This week, Brodie Gillan is joined by Emma Congreve, Hannah Randolph, and Christy McFadyen to reflect on their recent trip to the Social Policy Association Conference 2025, held in York. The team discusses key themes from the conference, including big-picture issues around employment, child poverty, and the links between housing and health—drawing on research they presented during the event. The episode also touches on broader policy discussions, such as Labour’s first year in government and the ongoing debate around tax reform and a potential wealth tax. You can find out more about the work we mentioned at: https://fraserofallander.org/ Find out more about the SPA and the conference here: https://social-policy.org.uk/

Yesterday, the Scottish Government published their medium-term financial strategy, which kicks off the Scottish Budget process. Hannah Randolph is joined by FAI Director Mairi Spowage to share their reactions. (2:08) What does the medium-term financial strategy do? (8:47) Financial strategy across spending areas (18:04) Public sector reform (25:06) Looking ahead to the Scottish spending review

The FAI is turning 50! Director Mairi Spowage and economist Ben Cooper join economist Hannah Randolph to talk about the role that the FAI has played in Scotland's economic policymaking and the series of events and special content we're planning for the year.

The UK has made strong progress on its energy transition journey, but emissions need to decline faster to hit legally binding decarbonisation targets. This will require significant capital investment, much of which needs to come from the private sector. In this podcast, we hear from Deloitte's Netti Farkas Mills and Dr. Jamie Speirs as they talk about the crucial role private investors will play in financing the energy transition and how policymakers can provide the policy apparatus to catalyse private sector investment towards financing of the energy transition.

In this episode we discuss yesterday's spending review announcements by the UK Government.

In this episode, we discuss the latest child poverty statistics, Scotland's child poverty targets, and where we go from here. PARTICIPANTS Chirsty McFadyen , Economics Associate, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde Hannah Randolph, Economics Fellow, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde Chris Birt, Associate Director for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Joseph Rowntree Foundation Read more on poverty and low income from the FAI: https://fraserofallander.org/themes/poverty-and-low-income/ Read more from JRF's analysis of Scottish poverty: https://www.jrf.org.uk/our-people/chris-birt Sign up to SHERU's webinar on child poverty and health inequalities: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-future-at-risk-child-poverty-and-health-inequalities-in-scotland-tickets-1292662441159

FAI Director Mairi Spowage and Deputy Direction João Sousa join economist Hannah Randolph to talk about fiscal policy decisions over the last week. We discuss the economic conditions leading up to the spring statement, the chancellor's decisions and how they affect Scotland, and what might happen in the future.