Scotland Analysis

Download or read book Scotland Analysis written by Great Britain: H.M. Treasury and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-04-23 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The UK Government is undertaking a major cross-government programme of analysis prior to the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014. The aim is to provide a comprehensive and detailed analysis of Scotland's place in the UK. This paper examines how Scotland might arrange its currency and wider macroeconomic framework. It reviews the current UK arrangements and examines the options for change. In the event of a vote for independence Scotland would have to establish its own institutional framework, and the current system of risk-sharing would end. An independent Scottish state would have four main currency options: continue to use sterling with a formal agreement with the continuing UK (a sterling currency union); use sterling unilaterally with no formal agreement ('sterlingisation'); join the euro; or introduce a new Scottish currency. This paper examines all these options and concludes that all of them would be less likely to be economically suitable for both Scotland and the rest of the UK.