The policy discourses that shaped the ‘transformation’ of Glasgow in the later 20th century: ‘overspill’, ‘redeployment’ and the ‘culture of enterprise’

This chapter draws on extensive research in government archives to show how Glasgow was affected by a highly discriminatory policy agenda developed within Scotland from the early 1960s. From that time, Glasgow’s industrial decline was actively embraced and accelerated by Scottish Office policy makers as part of a regional economic policy agenda seeking ‘development and growth’ in other parts of Scotland. This agenda, which was sustained for decades, is discussed here as an evolving set of policy discourses – of ‘overspill’, ‘redeployment’ and of ‘enterprise and personal responsibility’. The subsequent embrace by Glasgow’s civic leaders of a markedly post-industrial trajectory reflected their attempt to work within, while also pushing against, this deeply entrenched policy paradigm. Appreciating all of this is essential in considering appropriate policy responses for the city’s future. Currently, the evidence is that it is not sufficiently appreciated – either in Glasgow, or by the Scottish Government in Edinburgh.