In search of the regulatory state: Evidence from Scotland

Recent research has suggested that there is movement towards a 'regulatory state' in the UK with regulation an expanding area of government. This arti cle identifies key Scottish differences from UK practice and suggests the g rowth and scale of regulation inside Scottish government is more modest tha n suggested by UK-wide research. It also reviews existing oversight arrange ments within Scottish government for public service delivery bodies and que stions whether many of these activities warrant the label 'regulation', arg uing that a more accurate description is performance management.