Last Thursday the Scottish government published the minutes of the latest meeting of its Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). In a two-day session in Edinburgh, eight council members led by the California-based chairman Crawford Beveridge heard from Scotland’s first minister, two of her ministerial colleagues, the chairman of Scotland’s fledgling national investment bank, and were joined by ten civil servants, mainly from the chief economist’s directorate.
Two CEA members were new recruits. Martine Durand is chief statistician at the Paris-based OECD. Brynhildur Davidsdottir is an Icelandic environment professor. Three others, including the US economist Joe Stiglitz and Monaco-based engineer-turned-entrepreneur Jim McColl, sent apologies. The main theme of the meeting was how Scotland might create an inclusive wellbeing economy.
Sadly its timing could not have been