All you need to know about Scotland's economy, its finances, independence and Brexit.

How does the Scottish Government score in the Worldwide Governance Indicators?

1: Voice and Accountability - good

2: Political Stability - good. Better than England

3:Government Effectiveness - good and more trusted than England

4: Regulatory Quality - good although an independent Scotland would need some new regulatory bodies

5: Rule of Law - good. It has a well-regarded legal sysem

Suggests a written Constitution is central not peripheral to making the case for Independence and is the international norm. Proposes developing one provisionally via a Constitutional Conference before next referendum.

The White Paper Project is an attempt by Common Weal to explore the methodology, content and structure of a revised White Paper for Scottish independence.

Gordon Morgan examines the IT Systems requirements for an independent Scotland in this White Paper Project report.

This paper discusses the principles on which an independent Scotland should found the writing of a formal constitution as well as the method by which such a constitution could be determined by the people of Scotland via citizens’ assemblies and a referendum.

An example constitution for Scotland is included for the purposes of opening such a discussion.

How should parliament incorporate the public’s voice?

Opinion polls – measuring uncritical, off-the-cuff responses to complicated questions – are shallow at best, misleading at worst, and when amplified by the media and other sources can have a detrimental effect on policy making. Instead of gathering citizens’ opinions, political decisions should be made after garnering citizens’ considered and informed judgement.

This is what a Citizens’ Assembly will do.

This paper looks at the vulnerabilities in the UK’s electoral process in the form of the lax regulation around digital political adverts. Such adverts can be bought cheaply and tightly micro-targeted at individual voters. The current fines levied against groups who over-spend on campaigns is low enough that not only do they provide no deterrence to overspending, the fines risk becoming actively “costed in” to campaigns mounted by well-funded yet unscrupulous organisations.

Common Weal held a series of in-depth discussions with a wide range of individuals and organisations working in local democracy and community development based on an outline plan for a new tier of local democracy in Scotland. The outline plan was then revised and adapted on the basis of the comments received during those conversations. This is the final proposal.

― There are two primary issues with data for the public and for transparency – trust and usability. The former of these is crucial.

― Making numbers have meaning for people should be the primary public-facing aim of public data. But this should also carry an additional element – regular work should be done to systematically identify what information the public wants from public data.

The Constitution sets out the conditions under which the people agree to be governed. It lays down the basic principles of the State, the structures, and processes of government, defines the limits within which our politicians, at all levels, must operate and the fundamental rights of citizens in a higher law that cannot be unilaterally changed by an ordinary legislative act.