The End of the Union? London, Edinburgh, and the Battle for Scottish Independence

On 18 September, Scotland will hold a referendum on its 300 year-old union with the rest of the United Kingdom. It is an historic event with the campaign battle already well under way. The Center’s Global Europe Program will convene several leading experts to discuss the referendum campaign and the wider implications of a ‘Yes’ vote for Edinburgh, London and Europe.

Michael J. Geary is Assistant Professor of Modern Europe and the European Union at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. He has held distinguished fellowships including a Global Europe Fellowship at the Wilson Center, a Fulbright-Schuman Fellowship at the Catholic University of American (D.C.) and a European Parliament-Bronisław Geremek Research Fellowship at the College of Europe (Warsaw). He is the author of two books as well as articles and op-eds on EU integration, enlargement and EU-US relations. A First Class graduate of the National University of Ireland, he holds a Ph.D. from the European University Institute, Florence, Italy.

Daniel Kenealy is lecturer and associate director at the University of Edinburgh's Academy of Government. He is currently advising the Scottish Parliament's European and External Affairs Committee on its inquiry into the EU aspects of the independence referendum. His current research focuses on UK-EU relations with a particular emphasis on the UK's movement towards a possible renegotiation and referendum over 2015-17. Kenealy is also working on two independent projects – one concerning the Eurozone crisis and its implications for further European integration; the other, more historical in nature, dealing with UK’s engagement with the EC during the Thatcher administration. Kenealy joined the faculty of the University of Edinburgh in 2012 following the completion of his PhD. He has previously served as deputy director of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science and as assistant to the University of Edinburgh's Vice Principal Public Policy. He also holds an MSc (Research) in EU Law and Politics and a MA (Hons) in Politics, both from the University of Edinburgh.

James Mitchell joined the University of Edinburgh in 2013, and at present holds the Chair in Public Policy, having previously held chairs in the Universities of Sheffield and Strathclyde. His academic interests include: multi-level governance and the territorial dimensions of public policy; regionalism and nationalism; and political behavior with special reference to sub-state levels of government. His forthcoming monograph The Scottish Question informs debates on Scottish independence, setting these into wider historical and public policy contexts. Mitchell is also working on a book on constitutional conventions, and has recently co-authored (with Chris Carman in Glasgow University and Rob Johns in Essex University) a study of the 2011 Scottish elections. His current research focuses on public service reform and draws on his experience as a member of the Christie Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services. Mitchell has been engaged in debates on public services, speaking at many conferences and events.  In addition, he has recently completed a report, entitled 'People and Places', commissioned by the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives in Scotland. Mitchell holds a PhD degree from Nuffield College, Oxford University.

Alexandre Muns is an adjunct professor at EAE Business School in Spain, and over the past nearly twenty years has held numerous appointments with distinguished institutions throughout Spain, including Catalonia, teaching courses on European Integration; International Economic Institutions; European Economics; and Culture & Business in Europe. Previously, he served as head of the Europe program at the CIDOB Foundation, a leading think-tank in Spain, and was director of studies at the American Chamber of Commerce in Spain. In addition, he has consulted the Spanish and Catalan governments on European Integration, eurozone governance and development projects. In addition, Muns has served as speech writer for the presidents of the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Inter-American Development Bank. He is the author of five books, on the post-Cold War international order, German unification and global economic governance, including: Ethical Capitalism: What it Can do for You and The End of the Cold War: German Reunification. Muns has published numerous of op-eds and is a frequent contributor to Spanish media, including print, radio, and TV.