The Scottish Council on Global Affairs: strategy, scope, structure
The core activities of the SCGA will be undertaken by its different Research and Engagement Strands. At first the strands will be composed of research experts from the three founding universities though these will quickly be opened to experts from across Scotland – from civil society and government as well as universities – who wish to take part in their activities.
Our strategy for achieving the aims outlined in our Mission Statement is vitally dependent on attracting people with ideas and enthusiasm to drive forward in the Council’s activities. The core of these activities will be the work of what we have defined as Research and Engagement Strands. These various strands will unite academic, private and public expertise and promote partnerships across traditional professional, institutional and disciplinary divides.
The initial areas that will be assembled will be in the following areas of expertise:
- Human Rights, Immigration, Migration, Refugees
- Foreign Policy, Peace Building, Conflict Resolution
- International Law, Trade and Global Governance
- Defence and Security
- Global Public Health, International Development
- Climate Change, Sustainability, Fisheries, Energy
It is our expectation that the vast majority of the SCGA’s research and engagement activities will cut across at least two of these strands. The core activity Council will support ambitious and policy-centric projects, many of which we expect will address questions relevant to two or more of these strands.
Structure & Operating Principles
Our initial conception of the structure and operating principles of the SCGA is as follows:
- A team of one Executive Director and two Co-Directors.
- A coordinating Management Committee: responsible for strategic direction and management of the Council’s core activities.
- Active Research and Engagement Strands: which will constitute the sinews of the SCGA.
- A diverse Advisory Board: composed of leading figures from the Scottish public and academic spheres. The role of the Advisory Board will be to provide support and strategic advice to the SCGA. Its composition will also symbolise the broad and non-partisan character of the Council and its activities.
- A Board of Governance, consisting of nominees from the Founding Partners, will ensure the transparency and propriety of all SCGA activities and provide oversight and accountability for the SCGA’s operations (with special reference to the Council’s accounting and expenditures). The Board of Governance will scrutinise and approve all SCGA’s appointments as well as its Annual Report, Business Plan and rolling Four Year Strategic Plan.
These levels will act as follows:
1. Directors
The Directors of the SCGA are drawn, in the first instance, from the three University Founding Partners: The Universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh and Glasgow. They will take advice from the Advisory Board work with the Management Committee to draft the Strategic Plan for the operation of the SCGA. The Strategic Plan will project the resources and activities of the Council on a rolling four-year basis and will be updated and presented to the Advisory Board annually on 1 June.
The Executive Director will be responsible for implementing the strategic plan and for managing the day-to-day activity of the SCGA. The position of Executive Director will rotate amongst members of the Founding Universities and this will bring certain expectations about housing and administrative support.
2. Management Committee
A Management Committee of no more than nine members will oversee the establishment of the SCGA and set the purpose and expected achievements of its Research and Engagement Strands. The Committee will work with the Directors and take advice from Advisory Group members where appropriate to devise and update the Strategic Plan. It will also oversee the activities of the Research and Engagement Strands. Another crucial responsibility of the Management Committee will be management of the financial resources of the Council in an Annual Budget.
The membership of the Management Committee will be, at least initially, drawn mainly from the Founding Partners but will also include members with outside expertise considered valuable to the SCGA’s successful creation. The Management Committee will also work with SCGA officers to develop liaison, communications and outreach strategies to meet the core objectives of the Council outlined above.
3. Core activities
The core activities of the SCGA will be undertaken by its different Research and Engagement Strands. At first the strands will be composed of research experts from the three founding universities though these will quickly be opened to experts from across Scotland – from civil society and government as well as universities – who wish to take part in their activities.
We envisage the following as key elements of the SCGA’s activities:
- commissioned research
- working papers
- policy briefs
- government briefing sessions
- visiting practitioner-in-residence program
- public-facing information and discussion events
- professional development courses
- policy blogs
- media presence
- capacity-building internships to develop expertise in global affairs
- visiting scholars to engage with government, media, business, civil society
- joint activities with cognate institutions around the world
- academic publications
We are much looking forward to discussing these ideas with a view to forging a fruitful working relationship with the Scottish Government.
Sincerely,
The SCGA Steering Group
Peter Jackson, Chair, Global Security, University of Glasgow
Juliet Kaarbo, Chair in Foreign Policy, University of Edinburgh
Phillips O’Brien, Chair in Strategic Studies, University of St Andrews
Christian J. Tams, Chair, International Law, University of Glasgow.
