Scottish Parliament Academic Fellowship: Competition policy and Brexit

From March 2017 through July 2017, Dr Arianna Andreangeli undertook an academic fellowship with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe). During her fellowship, she produced research briefings on competition policy and Brexit, and has offered some reflections on her time spent working at the Scottish Parliament.

Reflections on the Scottish Parliament Academic Fellowship - Dr Arianna Andreangeli

The impact of Brexit on the way in which the rules on competition and consumer protection are applied, both in the EU and in the UK, is a very important area of research in my field. One of the aspects that has been explored less is the question of how the UK’s exit from the Union is going to affect the exercise of the limited powers that Scottish ministers enjoy in these areas.

In Autumn 2016, the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) launched a call for academic fellows who would carry out research on the issues arising from Brexit and affecting the devolution settlement.  Fellows would have to produce a research briefing summarising the outcomes of their research projects.  The briefings are published by the Centre, primarily for the benefit of Scottish Parliament members in order to inform policy and enhance parliamentary scrutiny.  They are also publicly accessible.

My application to be admitted to conduct research in this area was successful and I carried out my project between March and July 2017.  Due to the uncertainties surrounding Brexit (and to having a baby in between!) the first two briefings were eventually published in June 2019.  A third briefing was published in February 2020 and considers the implications of Brexit for consumer policy in Scotland.

Briefing 1: Competition Policy – Brexit and the Exercise of Devolved Powers

Briefing 2: Competition Policy – The UK Framework and the Impact of Brexit

Briefing 3: Consumer Policy - The consequences of Brexit for devolved powers

The Academic Fellowship Programme in SPICe is truly excellent: academics can work with excellent researchers and have direct access to Parliamentary clerks and other staff who provide invaluable support on parliamentary matters.  Academic Fellows pair with one or two members of research staff, who provide extremely helpful feedback and act as critical friends on the project; more generally, they are there to facilitate any aspect of the project, to assist with drafting the briefings and to support the fellows.

More about the Scottish Parliament Academic Fellowship Scheme

Related links

Competition policy after Brexit: what are the consequences for Scotland? (LSE British Politics and Policy Blog, 15 September 2020)