Renegade Scottish Economics

Renegade Scottish Economics

From The Jacob Shapiro Podcast by Jacob Shapiro

March 23, 2026 · 55 min · Season 1 · Episode 334

About this episode

Jacob Shapiro discusses Scotland's economic challenges and opportunities with Laurie McFarlane.

Jacob sits down with Laurie McFarlane, co-director of Future Economy Scotland, for a (non-Gulf War related, finally) conversation about what makes Scotland one of the more fascinating geopolitical underdogs around. The two dig into Scotland's constrained economic agency within the UK, the squandered promise of North Sea oil, the renewable energy transition, and why Scotland - like much of Europe - risks sleepwalking into managed decline. -- Timestamps: (00:00) - Welcome And Setup (01:30) - Why Scotland Now (02:35) - Future Economy Scotland Origins (05:54) - Early Impact And Strategy (07:55) - Devolution Limits And Agency (13:11) - North Sea Oil And Missed Fund (15:24) - Managed Decline And Renewables (20:26) - Who Benefits From Wind (22:04) - UK Pricing And Regional Bills (24:16) - Decoupling Gas And Next Steps (27:03) - Green Transition Jobs (29:26) - Avoiding Deindustrialization (31:20) - Searching For Analogies (34:19) - Ireland And Independence (36:51) - Renewables Leverage Limits (39:18) - Water As Strategic Asset (40:57) - Brexit And Global Power (43:47) - Nukes And Security Debate (46:41) -Future Growth Model (49:37) - Sharing Growth Fairly (52:35) - Europe Coordination…

People in this episode

Host: Jacob Shapiro

Guest: Laurie McFarlane

Topics covered

  • Scottish economy
  • geopolitics
  • renewable energy
  • North Sea oil
  • managed decline
  • devolution

Keywords

  • Scotland
  • economy
  • renewable energy
  • North Sea oil
  • devolution
  • Brexit
  • geopolitics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Future Economy Scotland

Places: Scotland, UK, Europe, Ireland

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