British Academy publishes book about Treasury Control and Public Expenditure

Ahead of the Scottish Referendum on 18 September, the British Academy has published 'Treasury Control and Public Expenditure in Scotland 1885-1979'. Edited by Ian Levitt, the book explores Scottish claims for public expenditure from the establishment of the Scottish Office in 1885 to the failed referendum on political devolution in 1979.

It draws on previously unresearched Treasury documents held at the National Archives (UK), providing a unique insight into whether its ministers and officials viewed public investment north of the borders as economically 'productive', designed to ensure equivalence in public investment between Scotland and England, or to placate Scottish interests.