WIREDGOV

Report on written submissions to the independent Advisory Group on economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction

About this report

The Advisory Group on Economic Recovery was given less than three months to consider and advise on Scotland’s path to economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. A key part of the Group’s approach was a dynamic programme of engagement around the country, together with a process to gather external evidence, insights and advice, at pace, from a wide cross-section of organisations, businesses and individuals across Scotland. 

This evidence-gathering had four main strands: 

• A series of specific inputs, survey and research activity commissioned from particular organisations and individuals;
• A written request to a range of key organisations for submissions in response to a set of structured issues for consideration;
• A structured programme of engagement with business organisations and individual business leaders organised on the Group’s behalf by Scottish Enterprise; and
• An open call for views on the Scottish Government’s website, based on a series of questions and issues. 

The specific inputs mentioned in the first point above were summarised in the Group’s main report, and were published individually on the Scottish Government’s website alongside the report itself. 

This report provides a summary of the other strands, which between them generated some 400 wideranging written contributions in a period of under a month. Its aim is twofold: to give a picture of the range of views and evidence submitted to the Group to inform its discussions, and equally importantly to create a structured depository of material that may assist future policy development by the Scottish Government and others. 

The Group decided to view Scotland’s economy through the lens of four “pillars” of capital – business (financial and physical capital), people (human capital), community (social capital) and environment (natural capital). Accordingly we have sought, as far as possible, to structure the summary of contributions under these four pillars: although some aspects of the contributions, and some of the proposals put forward, address more than pillar, or in some cases don’t sit particularly neatly within that structure. 

Towards a robust, resilient wellbeing economy for Scotland: report on submissions to the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery 67 page PDF, 655.8 kB